An Arc's Heartache
by Anomynous Nin
Summary: Jaune discovers that Pyrrha, Ruby and Weiss have feelings for him, and he is unwilling to turn any of them away. In hopes of finding a peaceful solution to bring all of them together, he enters a difficult dilemma that will either end in peaceful harmony, or in flames of hatred. Jaune/Ruby/Pyrrha/Weiss. My first story in a long while.
1. Prologue 1

**Hello, one and all! My name is Anomynous_Nin, and what you're currently reading is my first RWBY fanfic story, and by extension, the first fanfic in general after a very long time. To all of you who followed me and my other stories, I'm happy to announce that I am back, at lest for another good while.**

 **First of all, let me tell you the full summary of my RWBY story, An Arc's Heartache. In this story, Jaune finds out that three girls, Pyrrha, Ruby and Weiss, have feelings for him, and he is unable to have in him to turn any of them away because of his own feelings for them. He tries to find a peaceful solution that would bring all four of them together, at the risk of unintentionally destroying their friendships. It is a love dilemma that will either end in peaceful harmony or in flames of hatred.**

 **Now, this story came about when I have a strong desire to write a Ruby/Jaune story, since I love the pairing to death. Then things got a bit creative when I decided to add in Pyrrha and Weiss into the mix, making the story a Jaune/Ruby/Pyrrha/Weiss one. Why those three girls in particular? Well, for Ruby, it's obvious that I love Ruby/Jaune. For Pyrrha, it's a pretty obvious couple. And for Weiss, it's because Jaune was flirting with her throughout the series until now.**

 **Now, if any of you had been following my other stories involving three or more people, a harem essential, you guys might expect that the three girls are willing to share Jaune easily. Well… Not this time. I'm aiming for a more realistic approach, for the most part, and it will take time for this particular solution to come in fruition. So when you first read the story, you should read with a fresh mind on it.**

 **Another thing, for this chapter in particular, it is labelled as Prologue 1. There will be three parts of the Prologue in the beginning, and my decision to plot the prologue in three was because I realize that the entire prologue is, uh… Very long. It'll be a pain to read the entire prologue in one sitting, so this is why I decided to split it into three.**

 **One last thing before we get started. This is my first chapter after a very long while, so my writing may be rusty. There may be some errors here and there. And since this is my first story in a new series, I tried my best to keep the characters, settings, and basically everything else consistent with the source material. Including the fight choreography, though it is difficult to emulate it. This is a warning for any of you expecting a well-written story from me. Trust me. It won't be that well written.**

 **Anyways, I won't keep you waiting any longer. So let's start the story!**

"Speaking"

' _Thoughts'_

 _Flashback_

Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by the late Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth.

* * *

 **Prologue 1:**

 **Prelude to Heartache: Pyrrha**

Night had finally come to the city of Vale, as the dark nightly sky began to display the many small stars accompanied by the full moon, whose radiant light shined over the tranquil land inhabited by humans, faunus, and potential hunters and huntresses. It could be said that, for once in a while, the city of Vale and its citizens were finally given relief by the peaceful night.

Ever since Vale had been suddenly breached by the dark creatures called Grimm, led by a group of faunus extremists named the White Fang, its people had experienced nothing but anxiety and fear over what would happen next for their dear home. Over a month or so, Vale was slowly healing from the damage caused by the incident, and the authorities had given their best to quell the fears of its inhabitants, and that included seeking help from neighbouring cities to restore Vale to its former glory.

A long time had passed since then, and Vale and its citizens were almost fully recovered from the terrible incident, and with the supposed mastermind to the entire thing behind bars, the people's troubles were finally at an end…

… Except for those of a certain clumsy, blond leader of Team JNPR. Only his troubles were not related to the Breach, but a completely different incident that occurred only last week.

Inside of one of the many cafes of Vale, Jaune Arc was found sitting at one of the small, round tables meant for one or two customers, near the large, glass window. The blue-eyed knight's gaze were aiming downwards at the table, his head clutched by his hands while his elbows are resting against the steel sheet of the table. The atmosphere that he was giving was glooming, but thankfully, no one else was around to experience it, as the cafe had become empty of customers at that time.

Jaune knew that he had been sitting inside of the cafe for a very long time already. Yet, he did not have the strength and confidence to leave just yet. His mind, and by extension, his heart, were tormented by the unexpected situation that he trapped himself into, and there was no clear solution for him to act upon. "… What have I gotten myself into…?" he sighed.

His continuously tormented thoughts were then interrupted, when a voice snapped him out of his bubble. "Sir? Is everything alright here?" Jaune looked up from the table to see a formally dressed young man standing right beside the table, complete with a white shirt, black vest, black tie and a pair of black pants.

The blond knight recognized him as one of the waiters of the cafe, the same waiter who took and gave his order and had constantly gave him refills when he needed.

"I'm here to tell you that it is almost closing time for the cafe. You have been sitting here for quite some time already." said the waiter.

Jaune looked up at the clock somewhere in the room and found that it was almost 9 PM already, more than 6 hours had passed since he came to the cafe. "Oh… S-sorry about that…" Jaune apologized, as he rubbed one side of his face with one hand to rid himself of his anxious expression. "I should have just left after an hour, at least. I didn't know that it's this late already…"

"I just had to come and remind you of the fact, sir."

"Yeah, sorry… Can you just… Can you just give me a couple more minutes here? I don't think I'm ready to leave just yet…"

The waiter raised an eyebrow, as he was just been told to give the blond knight more time inside of the cafe. He knew that Jaune was experiencing some issues, but he didn't know that it would be that serious.

"You seemed very troubled, sir. The fact that you want to stay for a while longer, even though it has already been that long already, should tell you at least that much."

"Is it that obvious?" Jaune asked, before letting out a depressed sigh. "I'm sorry… I got a lot on my mind today… I just needed a little more alone time to take in all of those things that happened to me lately…"

The situation surrounding Jaune had become very apparent to the waiter. Normally, he would acknowledge Jaune's request and leave him be for another short time before the cafe closes, but he had a feeling that Jaune might not want to leave at all, not when his troubles were still grasping onto him.

"Well, sir… How about you try and tell me what's troubling you?"

Jaune looked up to the waiter with his eyes widen in surprise. "What? Wait, you want me to tell you what happened?"

"Indeed." The waiter nodded. "I mean, it is very clear that you've encountered quite a large issue, from what I can tell. I thought that if I leave you alone to deal with it, you'll still feel anxious for another good while. It's not in my requirement to reach out for people, but it's the least that I could do for you, at least as a waiter.

"Um… Well…"

"Or, if you are absolutely sure that you want to keep it to yourself, then it is fine by me. I shall respect your privacy either way."

It took Jaune a few seconds to think on it, about if he should explain the waiter what was plaguing in since last week or not. He gave his answer by shaking his head. "No, it's alright. I think I'll be fine keeping it to myself."

The waiter bowed his head in confirmation. "Very well then. I shall give you a few more minutes then." he said.

As the waited turned himself around and started to walk away from the anxious knight, Jaune suddenly called out to him. "Wait just a sec!" The waiter stopped and turned his head towards him. "Um… Maybe I might feel a little bit better if I just tell you what's going on with me. I think that would be for the best."

The waited turned himself around again and bowed his head once more to Jaune. "Very well. It is as you wish." he said, before he walked over to the table and sat down on the second chair reserved to that table. "Well then, what is it that is troubling you, good sir?"

Jaune let out a sign beforehand, as he was about to tell who he believed to be a trustworthy stranger what exactly was going on to him that got him in this mess. "Well… To give a brief explanation, I'm having some… Well, you know… girl troubles?"

"Oh. So you are having difficulties trying to find yourself a lover, huh?" The waiter chuckled.

"No, no, no. It's not that… Well, ok, maybe it is, but that's not the full story." Jaune explained. "I think what I want to explain is… I'm a… subject of a huge love debacle that really doesn't happen just yet, but will happen if I did something stupid that will threaten to destroy everything in the fires of calamity!"

"A bit exaggerated there, sir. So what you're saying is… You're being chased by a lot of girls?"

"Yeah! Well, no… I mean, you can say that… Actually, no, you can't, but… Aaargh!" Jaune furiously scratched his head as he tried to explain what kind of trouble that he ran himself into. "All I'm saying is that I just learned that a girl likes me!"

The waiter raised his eyebrow. "… And that is an issue because…?"

"Well… The thing is…" Jaune sighed once more, as he began to recall what was it that got him down earlier today. "… It's not just one girl who likes me. I learned that… Well, there are THREE girls who like me. And within the span of a single week."

The waiter stared at the blond knight in surprise, as he didn't expect a huge, but civilized problem coming from Jaune. "Oh… This is rather… interesting."

"You think?" Jaune said. The blue-eyed man then let out a sad chuckle, as a hint of irony got into his head. "Heh… When I first came to Beacon back then, I was so busy trying to flirt with girls to get them to score with me. They always gave me the cold shoulder every time I did that… And now? I just learned that three girls had been crushing on me for a while now, not because I was hitting on them, but because I was being myself…"

The waiter could only nod as he listened to Jaune's retelling of his life, starting from when he came to Beacon.

"Well… I don't think I'm getting anywhere just to tell you briefly my troubles. So… You don't mind if I tell you the story from the very start?" Jauned received a shaking of a head as an answer. Nodding to himself, he took a deep breath before he continued on with his situation. "Well… It all started last week, around the same time as now. At first, I didn't realize that something was going on between me and her. But thinking about it now… I think that was where I started to notice that she had a thing for me, but I didn't realize it until later."

"And this 'she' in question… Would you mind telling me who this person is?"

Jaune closed his eyes, as he thought back at what exactly happened a week ago. The first thing that came to his mind was the appearance of a strong woman, his partner. Long, red flowing hair that was tied into a beautiful pony-tail, a pair of emerald green eyes that gave him an impression of giving life to the earth, all he could think about was how that woman essentially helped him become the kind of person that he wanted to be, while he failed to realize that he was doing the same thing to her.

Jaune reopened his eyes and stared at the waiter, readying his answer.

"… Pyrrha Nikos."

 _Flashback_

 _Jaune's Point of View_

 _Pyrrha Nikos… To a lot of people, she was recognized as the champion of the Mistral Tournament for four years in the row. Embarrassingly, when I first met her, I only recognized her as the cover girl for Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes cereal. And that was after somebody mentioned it to me. I know, it was stupid of me._

 _But anyway, where to start…? Pyrrha is my partner. I mean, she's the best partner that I could ever have. She's strong, she's intelligent, she's basically helped me out in a lot of things even before I told her about them. After knowing that she won a tournament four times in a row, her strength and audacity definitely shows when we're in a team, in class, and in sparing sessions. So in other words, Pyrrha is a very strong fighter, capable of dealing the situation herself with no problems._

… _Which is everything that I'm not._

 _Even now, I still don't understand why the Headmaster chose me as the leader of Team JNPR. I mean, if you ask me, I think that Pyrrha should be the leader around here. Or Ren. Or even Nora… Actually, scratch that last past. What I'm saying is that I didn't feel like I earn the position of a leader of the team. I can't even recall a single thing I did that got me into leadership. I honestly thought that me being a leader was a mistake…_

… _But Pyrrha didn't think so. She always believed that I'm a great leader. Even when I messed up during missions, she still holds onto that belief. And to be honest… That made me feel better. It made me want to work as hard as I can to be the leader that I was chosen to be. Which is why I asked Pyrrha to train me to become a better leader, a better hunter, and most of all… A better hero, like my father, my grandfather, and his father before him. I can't explain enough on why Pyrrha is the best partner that I could ever hope for._

 _Which makes it all the more surprising that it took me this long to find out that Pyrrha had a thing for me…_

 _Last week, around the same time as today, Pyrrha and I were having a training session together up on the rooftop of our dorm, just as it had always been ever since. That night was when I saw that I finally made progress on my fighting skills, so much so that I actually caught up with Pyrrha's skills in battle. At least, that was before I… Well… I'll get to that later. I still remember how the training went._

 _Pyrrha and I were facing a couple feet away from each other, wearing our regular outfits and wielding our weapons, as we both got into our fighting stance. Pyrrha had her shield, Akouo, in front of her, while she held her weapon, Milo in its sword form, steady at her side. Meanwhile, I also had my shield up in front of me and readying my trusty sword, Crocea Mors, at my own side._

 _We both stared at each others' eyes for a short while, waiting for the other to make a move. And as if the same thought got into our minds, we both charged ourselves at each other at the same time._

 _I made the first offensive move, by swinging my sword downward towards her as soon as we got close. Pyrrha easily blocked my attack with her own and pushed it away, before she thrusted it right at me. I blocked it with my shield, and Pyrrha ended up following it up with a couple slashes at different directions._

 _At that last swing of her sword, I pushed it off my shield and proceeded to thrust myself and my sword forward her. She simply dodged my attack by side-stepping, as if she didn't need to put any effort against it._

 _Heh… Too bad for her, I've already got an idea of a follow-up attack. Just as she was side-stepping away from my thrust, I suddenly turned myself towards her and carried my sword with me, forming a horizontal strike. For a split second there, Pyrrha looked surprised, right before she blocked my strike with her shield and then jumped back away from me._

 _I gave chase and swung my sword at her the instance that I got close. Of course, Pyrrha, as soon as she landed back on the floor, blocked my attack with her sword, and what followed was a series of blades clashing against one another in a lot of ways._

 _Our last weapon clash happened when both Pyrrha and I swung our weapons downward, and we ended up in a power struggle against each other. I could really feel just how far I've gotten since then, so much that I couldn't stop myself from grinning like and idiot. Pyrrha returned my grin with a smile._

 _I wanted her to go even further against me, as I was confident enough that I could handle Pyrrha when she was at her best. "Come on, Pyrrha! There's no point in holding back on me now!"_

" _Oh?" She smirked. "Where did that burst of confidence come from, Jaune? Are you positive that you can handle it?"_

" _You trained me! You should know the answer by now!"_

" _Heh! In that case…" Suddenly, Pyrrha pushed me off from the power struggle, as I stumbled backwards. "Here I come!" she said, as she jumped off the ground and dived straight at me, transitioning Milo from a sword to a javelin and holding it backwards as she pointed the blade at me._

 _When I got back on my feet, I noticed her attempting a dive attack and jumped back. Her javelin hit the floor, but little did I know, she used it as a pole to lift herself up and spin right at me._

 _I quickly had my shield up at my side to block her spinning kicks, though I ended up getting pushed down. I quickly rolled up and stand on my foot and knee just in time to see her holding her spear backwards and pulling her arm back, before throwing her javelin right at me._

 _I held my shield up to block the javelin throw, as it was sent flying up. Putting my shield down a little, I noticed that Pyrrha was running right at me, caught her javelin when it fell down at her, and did a huge swing with it. I quickly pull my shield back up to block the attack, only to end up stumbling back from the impact._

 _I regained my balance and retained my fighting stance, panting heavily as I kept my sword and shield up. Pyrrha, on the other hand, looked like she didn't break any sweat, since she smiled at me and I couldn't find any hint of her being tired._

" _How's that, Jaune? Do you think it's too much for you?" Pyrrha asked, still smiling. I could tell that she wanted me to back down from it, since she was worried that I might hurt myself at this rate._

 _But my confidence didn't go away. I wasn't being arrogant or anything. It was just pure confidence. Like hell would I back down from a fight this intense! I let out a large grin, as I gave her my answer. "No way! This suits me just fine!"_

 _Pyrrha looked like she was almost taken aback by my claim. She sighed a little and shook her head a bit, while still retaining her small smile. "I hope that you know what you're doing, leader." she said, right before she charged right at me, changing her javelin into a sword as she was ready to slash upwards._

 _At that point, I finally got a hang of how Pyrrha fought. Just as she performed an upward slash at me, I took a step back, with the blade barely missing me. When her sword was still up from the attack, I charged myself forward, thrusting my shield at her when she was still vulnerable._

 _Pyrrha was pushed back, dragging her feet to stop herself from sliding further back. Before she had a chance to recover, I was already running at her, readying my sword for another slash attack._

 _Once I performed it, Pyrrha quickly moved aside to dodge it. I then followed it up with a few more slash attacks at different directions, and Pyrrha still dodged all of them. But from the look that she gave me, she was surprised at how fast my attacks went. And in all honesty, I was too. It was just another sign of progress._

 _When I swung my sword vertically downward, Pyrrha blocked it with her shield and pushed it off, before thrusting her sword right at me. I didn't need to block any of them with my shield. I simply dodged each one of her thrust attacks, now that i got her attack pattern down. When she thrusted her sword right at my chest, I deflected it away with my own._

 _Pyrrha jumped back from me and, as soon as she touched the ground, quickly lunged at me with her spear ready to fiercely thrust forward. Before her attack could even reach me, I took a big step to the side, barely dodging it, just before I bashed my shield against her back._

" _Ack!" Pyrrha coughed as her back was struck by my shield, as she fell on her hands and knees. I then stood behind her as she was trying to catch her breath. And just as I was expecting it, she swung Milo at me while she was down, but I deflected it, and ended up disarming her as it was sent flying and sliding across the ground away from us._

 _She turned herself around as she found herself at my mercy, with my sword pointing at her, as I stood victorious. I couldn't help but let out a huge grin at her, as I finally won against my partner. "Hah…! Yeah….! I did it…!"_

 _Pyrrha smiled. "So is this it? Is this really your victory?"_

" _You bet it is! I can't believe that I finally caught up to you, Pyrrha! I'm really feeling it now!" I couldn't contain my excitement over my winning over Pyrrha. Unfortunately, it was then that I had my guard down._

 _Pyrrha kept smiling at me, and before I knew it, she moved and spun her kicks at my legs, as I yelped and felt myself tripping. I fell flat on my back as I let out a pained groan, wincing in pain. The next thing I saw was Pyrrha standing over my fallen body, as she gave me a smile that was sly and apologetic at the same time, it looked like._

" _Sorry, Jaune." Pyrrha said. "But always remember. Don't let your guard down. The moment that you get overconfident is when you're at your most vulnerable. That's how you didn't expect me to make a surprise attack on you."_

" _Ohh…! That really bites…!" I groaned, as I realized that I messed up big time when I had to yap over how I thought that I beat Pyrrha in a sparring match._

 _Pyrrha lent her hand to me, as I took it and she pulled me off from the ground. Our sparring match was over, so I retracted my shield into its sheath form and slid my sword into it, while Pyrrha walked over to pick up Milo._

 _As she picked it up and attached both her weapon and shield on her back, she turned towards me as she said, "Again… I'm sorry." At that time, I was a little confused as to why Pyrrha needed to apologize to me the second time. Then she gave me the answer to my question. "You said that I shouldn't hold back on you this time around. But the truth is… I was still holding back."_

" _Wait, what?"_

" _I mean, it's true that you've gotten better since last time, but I thought to myself that maybe you weren't ready to take me on at my best. And seeing how our match went, I think I've made the right choice."_

 _Suddenly, my mood pretty much deflated, as my body went limp from the harsh truth coming from Pyrrha. "Urgh… Figures… I guess I was overconfident to think that I finally got up to your level, Pyrrha…"_

" _Hey, it's not the result of the battle that matters here. It's the progress that you have shown from the match, Jaune."_

" _Yeah, I guess…" I said, still feeling down that I still wasn't able to keep up with her. But my mood suddenly brightened, when I realized what my progress from our training meant. "Wait, that's a good thing! I really did felt myself improving! I think I might be skilled enough to take on 4 or 5 Beowolves at the same time! I'm one step closer to becoming a better leader…!"_

 _Pyrrha giggled as she watched me get excited over becoming better and better each time. But then, she gasped when she noticed something. "Jaune!"_

" _Huh?" I looked at her confusingly, not knowing why she called out to me like that. Then, I felt something warm leaking down across my cheek, and when I put my fingers up to wipe it off, I saw that my fingers were stained with blood. I realized that I had a cut on my cheek._

" _Jaune, are you alright?" Pyrrha asked as she quickly walked over to my side, worried about my well-being. She started examining the cut on my cheek, not unlike how my mother did back then, and she turned her worried gaze at me. "Jaune, have you ever noticed that your Aura was running low?"_

" _Oh, uh… Well…" I didn't noticed how much Aura I had left in me today. So I pulled out my scroll, opened it up, and it was displaying the amount of Aura of Team JNPR. My Aura was pretty much empty. "Oh wow… I-I guess it must have ran out during our sparring match…"_

" _Jaune, I told you that it wasn't a good time for us to spare tonight after we had our sparring session in class!" Pyrrha scolded me, as she glared at me for recklessly wanting to spar with her like that. But then, her expression softened and she looked guilty. "No… No, this is my fault… If I had noticed that you were running out of Aura, I wouldn't have giving you such a rough time… I'm sorry, Jaune…"_

" _No, no! It's not your fault, Pyrrha!" I exclaimed, as I tried to cheer her up. After all, it was my idea that we should spar that night without ever knowing how much Aura I had left. "I mean, you're right! I shouldn't have convinced you to train me tonight. I was being an idiot for not knowing. And besides! Once my Aura replenishes, my cut will be all healed! So there's no need to worry about me."_

 _Even when I tried my best to cheer her up, Pyrrha still looked ashamed of herself, since she lowered her gaze away from me. "Jaune… I… If anything would ever happen to you, I… I don't know what I would do… I don't want to see you hurt…"_

" _Pyrrha…" She was really worried about my safety. Whether it was during missions or sparring matches or anything else, Pyrrha would always worry about me, no matter the circumstances. It's always been like this ever since we became a team._

 _But shouldn't a leader risk his life to protect his teammates? Shouldn't a leader be willing to sacrifice his well-being to ensure that his teammates are safe? At least, that's what I've heard. But I guess Pyrrha didn't believe any of that. She wanted to see me safe and sound. And… I guess she might be right about that._

 _I didn't want to see her sad like that. So I placed both of my hands on her shoulders and gave her a look of confidence. "Pyrrha… You don't have to worry about it. We're a team now. And it's our job to perform our duties as hunters, and it's also our job to make sure that our teammates are safe. So as long as I'm around, and so long as you, Ren and Nora are around, nothing is going to happen to us. I give you my word."_

" _Jaune…" Pyrrha moved her gaze up at me and stared right into my eyes. The night was silent, the atmosphere was soothing, and the moon was shining directly onto the school grounds._

 _If I wasn't a blind idiot back then, I would have noticed something in Pyrrha's behaviour. She slowly had her hands on my chest as she continued to look at me deeply in the eye. It looked as if our face have gotten closer and closer towards one another, as if… And I was still a blind idiot for not noticing what was going on._

 _Pyrrha blinked and pulled herself away, seemingly blushing, as she turned away from me. "O-oh, that's right! It's late already. And we still have a mission to take care of tomorrow."_

" _Oh, right! The mission! I completely forgot about it!" I said._

" _Well… We better get back to our dorm room, shall we?" Pyrrha asked. I nodded in agreement. Pyrrha then started to walk towards the door, while I still stood where I was. Just before reaching the door, Pyrrha stopped and, without turning to face me, asked, "Jaune… Will you promise me that you won't get hurt no matter what…?"_

" _Huh? Well, of course I will! I already gave you my word, remember?"_

" _Hm… Then, I'll keep your word for it, Jaune…" she said, as she turned her head towards me and gave me one of the sweetest smiles that I ever got from her. She then went back to walking towards the door, as she went back inside._

 _I then followed her suite, as I in turn went back inside of the dorm to join Pyrrha back to our room, where Ren and Nora were most likely already gone to sleep._

 _The next day would be a very eventful moment for Team JNPR, once we start our mission. It would be especially eventful for both Pyrrha and I…._

* * *

 _According to the mission briefing, we were tasked to provide a safe passage between neighbouring villages located in the far east of Vale, when reports indicated that a pack of Grimm were sighted within the passage, making the travel between the two villages pretty difficult._

 _There was only one path that connects the two villages, and it was located inside of a dense forest, where Grimm are usually found. Before the mission was issued, there wasn't any problems traveling from one village to another. But according to the briefing, the Grimm's behaviour shifted, and they will attack any and all travellers walking down the single path._

 _It was considered as a pretty hard mission, especially for first-year students like us. I have to agree, since I don't necessarily want to deal with a group of Grimm that large, except during unlucky circumstances. But Pyrrha, Ren and Nora were pretty confident that they could handle it. So in that case, I should be too. And that was how we accepted the mission._

 _After an… Urgh… agonizing trip on an airship…. because of my motion sickness… And after a bit of rest in one of the neighbouring villages… Again, because of my motion sickness… Team JNPR finally set off down the road inside of the forest, keeping our eyes peeled for Grimm and seek them out when necessary._

… _But for Nora's case, she'd rather scream her lungs out for Grimm, trying to get their attention. I was pretty tensed every time she did that…_

" _Here, Grimmy, Grimmy, Grimmy!" Nora chanted, as we continued to walk down the road while she was trying to bait the Grimm into coming there. "Come here, Grimmy, Grimmy, Grimmy! Look! We're four big, mouth-watering, sweet walking chunks of meat trespassing your home! I know you want us! So come and get us!" Urgh… I still have shivers running down my spine every time Nora was trying to alert the Grimm…_

" _Nora," Ren spoke, apparently sharing my discomfort about that… I think. "I don't think it's a good idea to bait the Grimm into coming here. It'll be especially unwise if they end up surrounding us on all sides as a result."_

" _Oh come on, Ren! When did we ever let that stop us? I say we grab their attention quick, split them between us, smash their brains in one by one, and everybody will be happy! No more complaining about the big, scary Grimm!"_

" _While your strategy is admirable, Nora," Pyrrha said. "I think it's a good idea if we just sneak in quietly and take them down one at the time without alerting them of our presence. And just as Ren said, we won't be able to handle all of them if we're surrounded."_

" _Y-yeah, they're right, you know!" I said, trying hard not to stutter in fear at our worse case scenario. "I mean, if any of us get cornered by their big numbers, it'll be pretty bad for any of us… Um, especially me…"_

 _I let out a sigh, as I was still feeling startled by the whole thing. Then, a hand was placed on my shoulder and I turned me to see Ren giving me a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Jaune. If we ever get caught up in that situation, we'll just have to give it our best to quell the danger. Besides, I've seen that you made some improvements for the past few weeks. Am I right to assume that you can handle a few Grimm on your own?"_

 _I felt reassured that Ren trusted me to deal with a couple of monsters myself. Of course I've gotten better than last time! I've had Pyrrha to thank for, after all! "Yeah… You're right, Ren! I'm feeling way more confident than I was before. So you don't have to worry about me." I said to Ren, before I turned my head to look at Pyrrha, who gave me another one of her sweet smiles. I guess that she thought so too._

" _Sneaking behind them monsters before they know what's coming? Hmmmmm, sounds boring, but if Ren wants it like this, then I'm a-okay!" Nora exclaimed, without letting up her enthusiasm even once. I guess if you're as hyperactive as she is, then you'll stay positive non-stop too._

 _So we continued to walk down the road inside of the big forest for another good while. Since we'd been quiet for a good while and were busy trying to fein Grimm in a forest that dense, I decided to speak up. "So, um… I've been meaning to ask, what's up with the Grimm suddenly attacking innocent bystanders just recently? If they're attacking just now, why didn't they do it earlier?"_

" _Hmm… Perhaps it's the result of the seasonal change." Ren replied, as he was trying to find a logical explanation to that. "It might explain why the Grimm felt the need to attack now instead of earlier in the year. As the season progresses, animals tend to adapt to the change of time, such as hibernation. I guess the same thing can be applied to Grimm. Or perhaps it's because the villages have become more advanced in technology, which might result in their behaving aggressively. Though, it doesn't explain why they didn't focus their attack on…"_

 _Ren's hypothesis was halted when Pyrrha suddenly moved her arm right in front of us, signalling us to stop right there. "Shh. Can you hear that?" Pyrrha whispered loud enough for us to hear._

 _I raised an eyebrow, as I got confused as to why Pyrrha was asking us that. When I looked at the other two, I noticed that both Ren and Nora were also alerted. My confusion quickly died down, when I heard the rustling of bushes from a distance, as I got startled and scanned the area around quickly._

"… _Grimm?" I asked Pyrrha, and she gave me a nod as a reply. Now knowing that at least one of the monsters were around, my hand grasped the hilt of Crocea Mors, as my eyes continued to search for Grimm. Pyrrha had Milo pulled out from her back, while Ren and Nora were still searching for the enemy with their eyes._

 _Another rustling of the bushes was heard, and this time, it was near. I couldn't exactly identify where the sound came from. My eyes were solely focused on finding even a small glimpse of a dark furred creature within the deep woods. The suspense was agonizing, as I had no way of knowing exactly when they would strike._

 _I heard another rustling of the bushes. And this time, it came from behind. When I quickly turned around, a creature in black fur and bonelike spines along its body already jumped out from its hiding place and was already diving straight at the team, its claws ready to strike. It was a Beowolf._

 _I realized too late that it was aiming at Ren, who still had his back turned and seemingly failed to realize that the Beowolf was already attacking. Just when I thought that I was too late to warn him, as the werewolf monster was about to sink its claws into him, Ren quickly turned around and slay the monster in two with his twin knives, Storm Flower._

" _They're here!" Ren alerted us, as the sounds of bushes rustling came from all directions. I knew what it meant. I pulled out my sword in my hand and pulled out my shield, while Pyrrha took out Akouo as well. Nora took out her weapon, Magnhild, in its grenade launcher mode as she took aim._

 _One by one, a pair of red eyes appeared in the shadows of the woods, and as the sound got closer and closer, more Beowolves started to come out of hiding. And I realized that we'd just entered our worse case scenario: we were surrounded._

" _Yay! They all come here to play! This is gonna be good!" Nora cheered._

" _So much for our stealth strategy, huh, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked me, though she didn't look worried in the slightest, if her smirk was any indication._

 _Honestly, I got a bit intimidated by the amount of Beowolves that surrounded us in a huge pack. But I then took a deep breath, as I tried to compose myself. We'd just entered a bad situation, but that didn't mean that we would back down from a fight. "Alright, here's the plan. Ren, Nora. You two deal with half of the group on your side, while Pyrrha and I deal with the other half on our side. Don't let any of them corner you, got it?" I gave the order to the team._

" _Gotcha, leader!" Nora exclaimed._

" _Understood!" Ren replied._

" _Got it, Jaune." Pyrrha said._

 _We all got into our fighting stances, as we kept out eyes peeled from any sudden movements from the Beowolves. We kept our stances steady, as we prepared ourselves to charge in at any given opening._

 _One brisk movement from a Beowolf was all it took before we began our attack. "Move!" With that, both pairs of the team charged in towards our assigned targets._

 _I charged at the first Beowolf that I saw and raised my sword up to attack. The Beowolf did the same thing, with its claws ready to strike. When it swiped them towards me, I blocked them with my shield and threw a slash attack at it. I managed to hit it, but the cut was too shallow, and it stumbled back a little before it roared at me._

 _It took a big step forward and swung its arm horizontally at me. I rolled out of the way from the attack and got back on my feet just in time for me to see that the monster was charging at me with its fangs ready to gnaw at me._

 _I thrusted my shield against its face, stopping it from its tracks, pushed it off and went for the kill, as I made a diagonal slash attack and cut the beast in two._

 _Just behind the fallen Beowolf, two more came running at me with their claws up. I moved back a little before I proceeded to just barely dodge and block their barrages of claw attacks. I wasn't used to evading attacks from two opponents at the same time, so I was surprised that I barely got out of there without a scratch._

 _When a small window of opening was shown to me, I lunged forward and tried to strike either one of the two monsters. They both jumped to the opposite sides as I swung at nothing. Looking to my right, one of the Beowolves lunged right at me with its jaws opened, threaten to chomp on my head. I ducked down to avoid the lunge attack and, once the beast was directly above me, swung my sword high, slashing the beast in two._

 _When I turned to my left, the second Beowolf was already close to me, and was about to swing its claws down. I jumped back to dodge it, and once my feet touch the ground, I charged right at it, while it prepared to intercept me with another of its claw attack._

 _I didn't stop running at it, blocked its attack with my shield, and skewered it right through with my sword. I pulled it out by twisting and slashing through its side, as the beast collapsed to the ground._

 _A growl from behind got my attention, as I turned myself around and noticed that yet another Beowolf was already throwing its fangs at my face. I blocked them with my sword, and soon found myself in a power struggle with my sword still in the jaws of the monster._

 _I was slowly losing the power struggle when the Beowolf had both of its paws pushing against my sword. It took me just a few short seconds before I found something that hopefully might work. I took a big step back, pulled my sword off of its mouth as it stumbled forward, and decapitated its head clean as quickly as possible._

 _As the body of my latest opponent fell to the ground, I was already panting from exhaustion, but I could still hold my weapons up to fight on. When I turned to see how Pyrrha was doing, I found that, of course, she did way better than me._

 _She already took down at least three Beowolves more than I did. When I first saw her, she was already diving down at one of the Beowolves and impaled it to the ground with Milo. Using her javelin as a pole, she spun around and kicked the three surrounding Beowolves before she touched the ground and took her weapon out of the monster's corpse._

 _One of the three Beowolves got up and tried to sink its claws into her. But Pyrrha quickly swiped its paw off before stabbing it right in the chest. She sliced through it to the side and continued her swing to slay the other unsuspecting beast behind her._

 _She turned her head to the side and saw that the third beast was running at her to attack. She walked backwards as she dodged and blocked every single one of its attacks, and when the monster threw its attack at her legs, she did a somersault kick to its chin, causing it to stumble back. She then moved forward and shoved the beast to the ground with her shield, before she jumped and impaled it right there._

 _Pulling Milo out of it, she quickly turned and noticed that another Beowolf was diving at her, its paws ready to slam her down. She dodged its fierce attack by back flipping and landing at a distance away from it, right in front of yet another one of those beasts who was about to gnaw at her back._

 _She held her javelin up, its bottom facing the beast coming from the rear, and shot out a bullet right in its face, while she propelled herself forward from the recoil. Her javelin then plunged through the beast in front of her, as she dragged both herself and her fallen opponent forward, right into another small crowd of those monsters._

 _She let out a yell, as she lifted the corpse still impaled in her javelin up, and slammed it down against a Beowolf behind her like a hammer, then did the same with another in front. Then, she swung the corpse around, hitting all the other surrounding beasts, before she threw it high in the air, with her javelin pulled out of it._

 _When the corpse fell to the same level as her, she pushed it off with Akouo and sent it flying at the other group of those beasts, sending them tumbling across the ground._

 _A roar got her to turn around to see three Beowolves jumping in the air, as they were preparing to dive down and strike at her. She turned Milo from a javelin to a rifle as she took aim, shooting down two of the attacking beasts from the air._

 _Just as the remaining Beowolf was about to slam its paws down at her, she moved her shield up as she blocked the powerful attack. The strength of the attack pushed her down to one knee, but she quickly gained more strength, as she pushed the beast off of her. And just before the beast could recover, Pyrrha pressed the barrel against the underside of its head and shot its skull right through, as its body collapsed._

 _All the while, I was just standing there, watching in awe at how she fought against say that Pyrrha was better than me in every way would be an understatement. She took down dozens of enemies in one fell swoop while I struggled to every beat only four of them. But even so, I was lucky to have her as my partner. I just wished that I could have done better so I wouldn't be much of a burden to her._

 _She stood up from the ground as she turned her head to look at me. A smile appeared on her face, but it was quickly dropped when she adopted a worried expression. "Jaune!" she called out to me, as she threw her shield right at me… Or so I thought._

" _Whoa!" I yelped as I ducked down to dodge the shield throw. When her shield missed me, a sound of impact was heard and a dazed growl came from behind. I turned my head back to see that there was a Beowolf creeping behind me before it got stunned by the shield throw._

 _I quickly moved in the attack and slashed the beast across its I turned around to thank Pyrrha for the help, I noticed that she also had a Beowolf creeping behind her. I ran as fast as I can towards the two, as I shouted out, "Pyrrha!"_

 _Pyrrha nodded and she crouched down, as she already understood what was going on. I jumped over her and blocked the rear Beowolf's claw attack just in time, and pushed the beast away from the both of us with my shield._

 _As I walked towards the stumbling beast, it regained its ground and tried to claw at me from the side. I blocked it with my shield again and slashed through one of its legs, causing it to fall on its knee. When the beast tried to attack the second time, I sliced off its attacking arm. The Beowolf howled in pain, trying to collect itself._

 _I was about to take it down there, and I even had my sword up to strike. But then, a javelin suddenly came from the sky and pierced through its mouth and pinned it down to the ground. I got a bit disappointed that Pyrrha got the kill before I could, but who am I to complain?_

 _Pyrrha landed right next to the fallen monster, as she pulled Milo out of it. She then turned to me as she flashed another one of her sweet smiles at me. "Looks like we're even now." she said._

" _Hah…! It sure does look like it…" I said, still a bit out of breath from the battle. I turned to see the other side of the battle where Ren and Nora were, and it looked like they fared as well as Pyrrha did._

 _Their body count was just as big as Pyrrha's. Ren was shooting bullets at the group with Storm Flower, and performed a quick slash with them when one or two of them got close before resuming his shooting. When one of them appeared behind him to sneak in a strike, Nora came in and bashed it down with Magnhild, now in its hammer form. It got Ren's attention as he turned to see what happened._

 _Once Nora was done with the beast attacking Ren, she gave him a huge grin, as he returned it with a small smile. If you're anywhere near them, you can definitely feel the strong bond between them without them even doing anything to show it._

" _It doesn't look like Ren and Nora need our help right now." I said while smiling at the two._

" _It seems so." Pyrrha replied._

 _A single growl got our attention, as we both turned and got back into our fighting stances. A lone Beowolf, presumably the last one on our side, stood menacingly, roaring at its two opponents._

 _Heh! Only one? Pyrrha and I can take it down no problem! That was what I thought. And before Pyrrha and I could move in to the attack, something big suddenly appeared behind the beast, which made us hesitated._

 _It looked like the Beowolf also felt something behind it. When it turned its head to look, it was suddenly sent flying to an even deeper part of the forest. We watched it as it happened, before our gazes were shifted back at the large being._

 _What stood before us was a huge, hulking beast in black fur, with more bone-like spines popping along its body than the Beowolves themselves. Its claws were larger and sharper, its spines were also strikingly sharp, and its skull looked a lot more menacing. In other words, it looked a like a bigger, badder Beowolf._

" _W-whoa…!" I gasped, a bit intimidated by the newly-appeared monster's looks. "That Grimm…! I-is that…?"_

" _The leader of the pack?" Pyrrha finished my sentence for me before nodding. "Yeah, definitely."_

 _The larger Beowolf, whom I like to call Chief Wolf, since… Well, I haven't look it up yet… The monster let out a huge howl to the sky, and the power of its shout was enough to create a gust of wind pushing against us, but we maintained our positions. When it was down with its howl, it stared down at us with its big, scary red eyes, trying to freeze us in fear._

 _I got a bit affected by it, but remembering my training, I felt like I could handle that hulking beast. "Ok, this is it! Let's take it down, Pyrrha!"_

 _Pyrrha looked at me with a worried expression on her face. "What? Jaune, are you sure that you can…?"_

" _It's fine! I trained me for this, remember? I'm sure the both of us together can beat this Chief Wolf! And besides, once we beat it, all the other Beowolves will back off for sure!"_

" _Jaune…" Pyrrha was still worried about me. I couldn't blame her for that, of course. "This isn't an ordinary Grimm that we're facing… If anything should happen to you…"_

" _It won't, Pyrrha. If you're with me, there's nothing that can harm us. Trust me on this." I gave Pyrrha a reassuring smile, as I felt confident that we could take down the boss together with no strings attached._

 _Pyrrha still looked worried, but I was still able to convince her to go on with it. "If you're sure, Jaune…" she said, before turning her gaze back at the beast. I did the same too, as the both of us were facing the leader of the pack head on._

 _With a short roar at us, the Chief Wolf plunged its claws into the ground. It took me a while to realize what it was actually doing, as I watched it trying to pull against the earth. A large chunk of the ground started to break itself apart, and with a forceful pull, the chief sent the chunk flying at us._

 _Both Pyrrha and I already anticipated the attack, and we dodged out of the way in opposite sides. As I rolled out and got back on my feet, the large monster was already charging at me with its gaping mouth. I once again rolled out of the way before it could take a bite out of me, and as I was just about to stand my ground again, the beast flung its huge arm at me, which I barely blocked with my shield._

 _The impact sent me stumbling back, almost tripping myself in the process. The big monster moved forward and swung its other arm at me, in which I barely evaded it by jumping to the side before I could recover from the previous attack._

 _I fell to my hands and knees in the process, and I turned my head to look at the beast just in time to see that it was about to slam its huge paw down at me. I rolled my own body out of the way, got moved slightly further away from the shockwave created the slamming of the paw, and I quickly got up with my sword supporting me on the way up._

 _When I thought that I found a chance to attack, I ran towards the beast's arm that is still on the ground, and I lunged at it while preparing a downward slash. However, the Chief Wolf pulled its arm back just in time, as I only struck the earth, and it rammed into me with its head._

 _I was sent flying and rolling across the ground before stopping with my front on the ground. As I struggled to get back up, my head moved up to look at the beast, as it was ready to charge at me once more. But then, three subsequent bullets hit the beast by the arm, as it and I turned our heads to see where the bullets came from._

 _Just a few feet away from us, Pyrrha stood there with her rifle aimed at the chief, as smoke came out of the barrel. "Over here!" she yelled at the beast, grabbing its attention._

 _The Chief Wolf growled as it set its sights on Pyrrha, charging at it with its claws ready to strike. As she switched her rifle into a sword, she jumped back from the initial attack, and when the beast tried to slam its other paw down at her, she slightly side-stepped out of the way, and plunged her sword into its arm and sliced across._

 _As the large monster moved back from her, she answered by charging in. It tried to halt her movement by swinging its arm at her, but she evaded it by jumping, and ended up resuming her dash on its arm, slashing across the arm a couple of times._

 _When she stopped near its head and was about to shove her blade right into its skull, the beast shook its body, causing her to lose her balance. It then grabbed her by the legs and threw her aside, where she stopped herself from dragging further into the ground by pressing her feet into it and stabbing it with her sword._

 _I continued to watch her battle against the huge beast until I finally got up from the ground, ready to fight back. "Pyrrha, hang on!" I yelled out to her, as I was about to dash into battle._

" _No, stay back!" Pyrrha's warning stopped my movement, as I looked at her incredulously. "Don't go anywhere near that thing, Jaune!"_

" _But, Pyrrha, I can't let you fight it alone!"_

" _It's still too dangerous for you to fight it! I can't risk it! Just stay back and find some cover!"_

" _But…!" Before I could argue with her demands, the beast was already running at her with a fearsome roar. "Pyrrha!" I ended up having to watch her fight the monster alone, worrying._

 _As the beast got close to her, I tried to do another arm swing at her, and she backflipped out of the way. It moved in once more with another swinging of the arm, and Pyrrha blocked it with her shield. Pyrrha then charged in, just as the beast tried to grab her with both of its paws, but failed when she slid right under its belly._

 _When she got behind it, she hacked into its tail, earning her a pained growl from the beast. It turned itself around and tried to skewer her with its claws, but Pyrrha merely blocked it with her shield, even though her feet was sliding back the force of its arm._

 _She managed to stop herself from sliding further, as she matched her strength with that of the beast and locked themselves in a struggle. The Chief Wolf had its paws grasping the whole shield, but Pyrrha turned Milo into a javelin and stabbed its paw through the upper concave hole of her shield._

 _The beast stumbled back in pain, waving its injured paw. Pyrrha took it as her chance to deal a fatal blow, as she held her javelin backwards and pulled it back. She took aim and threw Milo at the beast's open spot, shooting a bullet from the bottom to give the javelin more momentum._

 _Seeing her reacting with surprise, she probably didn't expect the beast to recover and swiftly deflect Milo from its trajectory. It gave Pyrrha a menacing and pissed-off glare, before it rammed its head against her._

 _Pyrrha blocked its ram attack with her shield, while she was being pushed back from the force. She had yet another look of surprise, when the chief lifted its head up and launched her in the air._

 _I watched in horror as Pyrrha was launched up and started to fall back towards the ground. I was really hoping that she had something else planned to get back at the beast, but nothing happened. Instead, when Pyrrha fell to the beast's height, it slammed its paw against her and sent her crashing into the ground, creating a cloud of smoke._

" _Pyrrha!" I cried out for her, as the dust cleared. Pyrrha was laying on her side, on top of a small crater made from the crash. She tried to get up from the ground, but failed when her arm gave out and she fell back on the ground._

 _I looked in horror as Pyrrha laid weakened, as the large beast slowly walked over to her fallen body. When i turned my head to look at where Ren and Nora were, I saw that they were still dealing with a handful of Beowolves on their side, not knowing what was going on over on our own side._

 _The Chief Wolf grabbed Pyrrha by her legs and lifted her up from the ground while she was still barely conscious. It lifted her close to its snout, as it took a whiff of her scent before opening its jaws, as if to take a bite out of her._

" _Ngh!" I gritted my teeth, as I couldn't bear to stand still and wait any longer. I charged in behind the huge beast and stabbed it from the back. The chief let out a pained growl, as it inadvertently let go of Pyrrha and sent her sliding a distance away from it. It turned its head back to look at me, as I pulled Crocea Mors out. It swung its arm at me as I was sent back with my shield up just in time._

 _Stopping myself from moving back even further, I looked at the huge beast, as it turned to face me. I took up my combat stance as I try to battle the beast myself._

" _Jaune…!" I heard Pyrrha calling out to me, as I moved my gaze to where Pyrrha was and saw that she just recovered from her crash and had her head lifted up to me._

 _There was no way that I could take down the beast alone. We needed the entire team to beat it. So I shouted my order out to her. "Pyrrha! Go and get Ren and Nora! I'll stall that thing for you!"_

" _Jaune, no…!" she protested. "You'll be in danger…! You can't fight it like this…!"_

" _Trust me! I'll be fine! Just go get the others!"_

 _Pyrrha still gave me worried expression, before she reluctantly nodded in understanding. She got herself up from the ground and ran towards where Ren and Nora were._

 _Seeing that Pyrrha was at least safe from harm, I shifted my gaze back at the beast, as it growled in anger. "Alright…! It's just you and me now!"_

 _The Chief Wolf roared in response, and ran straight at me. I took a moment to move back, with my shield up to block any attacks that it would give me. The beast went for a series of claw attacks, all of which I blocked, though I was pushed back each time from their power._

 _When the monster went for a big horizontal slash at me, I ducked down from the attack, then charged in to slice into one of its legs. It retaliated by kicking me away with the same leg._

 _I fell flat on my back, complete with a groan, as I winced in pain. When I looked up, I found that the beast was standing right above me, as it pulled its arm back to stab me with its claws. I rolled out of the way and continued to do so when it continually tried to impale my body._

 _When the attack stopped and I finally got up on a foot and knee, the beast still had its claws plunged into the ground with one paw. And then, it pulled out a chunk of the earth in its hold, and threw it right at me._

 _I jumped out of the way of the rock throw, did it again when the beast threw another one at me, and once more the third time._

 _The three rock throws created a cloud of dust that surrounded the area, obscuring my vision just a bit. A silhouette of the beast was charging at me through the dust cloud, and I had my shield up in preparation of its next move._

 _As the dust slowly cleared, the Chief Wolf threw an upward claw slash at me. Despite me blocking the attack, I was suddenly been pushed back and I lost grip of my shield, as it flew off of my arm and away from me._

 _I crashed on my back, groaned in response, and quickly got up on my feet. Facing the beast once more, I held my sword in front of me with my two hands, as I panted heavily from exhaustion. The beast, despite receiving several injuries, acted like it was perfectly fine._

 _I could feel my arms shaking as I struggled to keep my sword up. A combination of exhaustion and fear took over my whole body, as it was very clear to me that I didn't stand a chance against the Chief Wolf._

 _But I didn't let it stop me. I still held my ground, and I was determined to keep fighting the beast no matter what, at least until I got help. I needed to keep holding it off for a little while longer._

 _I took a deep breath, as I tried to stop myself from shaking any more. In my mind, I told myself to calm down and stay focus. To let your exhaustion and fear get the better of you is to lose a battle. Remember what Pyrrha taught you. Stay calm and focus. Analyze your enemy's movements. And once an opening is presented to you, strike forward._

 _I kept recalling how our training went, and what Pyrrha taught me. I continued to stare at the beast while paying attention to how it moved. I gripped the hilt of Crocea Mors tight, as I waited for an opportunity to move forward._

 _The Chief Wolf roared at me, as it charged in. I still stood my ground, not doing anything until the last second. When it got closer and closer, I saw that it had its arm pulled back to skewer me._

 _Now is my chance! The moment that it threw its claws forward, I instinctively tilted my body to evade the attack. At that single instance, I let out a battle cry and swung my sword upward at its arm, slicing it off clean._

 _The beast howled in pain, as it had its arm sliced off of it. Seeing the result of my actions, I couldn't help but let out a smile. I did it! I actually did it! My training finally paid off! I actually have a chance to beat this thing! If I keep this up, I won't need any help! I can do this!_

… _My overconfidence turned out to be my fatal mistake, as I let my guard down._

 _I failed to realize that the large beast threw its other claws at me, as my eyes noticed them too late._

 _The next thing I knew, I was sent flying back. Pain was surging throughout my entire body. And blood was spewing out of my fresh wounds._

" _JAUNE!" I heard Pyrrha's cry of anguish. I couldn't even imagine how horrified she was. To see me gravely injured. Right before her very eyes…_

 _My body rolled out across the ground before stopping with my back laid flat on the dirt. My strength was rapidly fading. I could no longer lift my sword up to protect myself. All I could do was turning my head towards the beast as I watch it come closer to my fallen body._

 _The Chief Wolf gave me an intense death glare. It was no wonder, since I cut its arm off. I couldn't do anything else to keep on fighting. I was at the beast's mercy._

 _I thought that that was how I die. My only thoughts were regrets. How stupid I was to let down my guard because of my overconfidence. How I basically let my team down. How I let my family down. How I let everyone down… How I let Pyrrha down because of my stupidity…_

 _The big monster jumped off from the air and was diving straight at me, with its only claws ready to impale me right through. I continued to watch, as I faced my inevitable death at its claws…_

… _But it never came._

 _What happened next was that Akouo was thrown right at the diving beast, effectively shoving it off of its path and away from where I was. I felt a pair of arms sliding under me, as someone cradled my body into their arms. I turned my head and saw that it was Pyrrha._

" _Jaune…! Jaune…! Can you hear me…?" Pyrrha desperately called out to me, as tears formed in her eyes. It broke my heart to see her sad like that…_

" _Pyr… rha….!" I struggled to say her name, before I coughed out blood from my mouth._

" _Don't speak…! Please…! Just hang on…! Please…!" she tearfully begged._

 _I struggled to keep my eyes open. The pain from my clawed wounds became too much for me to bear. Then, a blur of green and a combination of grey, pink and orange went past my sight, as I followed it with my eyes and saw that Ren and Nora were dashing straight at the big boss itself, with their weapons ready to strike it down._

 _The last thing I saw before I blacked out was Pyrrha's tearful face, as she continually begged me to not leave her…_

* * *

 _I thought that I was dead at that point. I felt that my injuries were too deep for me to handle. But Lady Luck was very forgiving, as my consciousness was returned to me._

 _My eyes slowly opened, and my vision was blurred for a moment. When my vision got adjusted, the first thing I saw was Pyrrha's distressed face, before her expression changed from that of sweet relief. "Jaune…!"_

"… _Pyrrha…?" Her name was the first thing that came out of my lips. Pyrrha had her body leaned over mine, as I was laying on something soft._

" _Wakey wakey, sleepyhead!" I heard Nora's voice calling out to me. I looked over and saw that Ren and Nora were standing right besides Pyrrha, as they each gave me a relieved smile._

" _Ren… Nora…" I said their names. When I looked at my surroundings, I noticed that I was laying on a bench inside of a wide metal hallway complete with windows, and I felt that the whole thing was moving. I realized that we were inside of the airship._

 _When I looked down at myself, I was topless, with only bandages to cover most of my body._

"… _What happened…? Did we… win…?" I asked the team._

" _Yep! We did!" Nora nodded enthusiastically. "We got the Grimm's attention quick, split them between us, smashed their brains in one by one, and everyone is happy! No more complaining about the big, scary Grimm!"_

" _Nora and I took down the leader of the group, while Pyrrha tended to your wounds." Ren explained. "The other remaining Beowolves ran away afterwards. I think it's safe to say that the mission was a success."_

" _So… We finished the mission…" A smile slowly appeared on my face, knowing that we did it._

" _It was a close call, though. If we hadn't came as soon as we did, I couldn't imagine what would happen afterwards. We thought that we lost you for sure…"_

" _Well… Good thing I'm still in one piece…" I tried to lift myself off the bench, until I groaned in pain when my bandaged wounds started acting up. Pyrrha gently pushed me back down on the bench._

" _Don't get up just yet, Jaune." Ren told me. "You're still recovering from your injuries. Until we get back to Beacon, it's better if you rest there for a little while longer."_

" _Yeah! So don't move a muscle, or else, I'll break your legs!" Nora threatened while still keeping her enthusiastic tone. I chuckled as I knew that meant that she was worried about my wellbeing._

" _Alright, you guys… I'll stay put until then…"_

 _Pyrrha turned to the others as she told them, "I'll stay here with Jaune. Someone needs to tend to him while he's like this."_

 _Both Ren and Nora nodded in response, and they both walked away, leaving both Pyrrha and I alone._

 _I was happy that I was still alive. I was especially happy that everyone made it out okay. No wonder it was considered a pretty difficult mission for us first-year students. But we did it. We actually completed the mission._

 _But then, I thought back at what happened back there. How the mission went. How the battle went. How I basically screwed up… How Pyrrha was worried about me to death…_

"… _Pyrrha?" I called out her name, as she turned her head back to me. "I… screwed up big time, didn't I?"_

" _Jaune?"_

" _I thought that I could handle it… I thought that I could take down that big monster… We've been training together for so many months, and I thought that I was finally acting like the leader that I was chosen to be… But I let my overconfidence get the better of me… And here am I, wrapped in bandages, while you guys are worried sick about me… I really screwed up this time…"_

" _No, don't blame yourself for that!" Pyrrha said. "It's not your fault that everything happened as it did. In fact, there was never any fault to be had. You've shown that you're capable of fighting against Grimm. You were brave enough to fight against a powerful enemy. You even saved my life regardless of the danger…"_

" _But still, I…" I trailed off, as something else came into my mind. Something very important that I made with Pyrrha on the previous night. Regret filled my thoughts, as I turned my head away in shame. "I… I'm sorry, Pyrrha…"_

" _For what?"_

" _For… For not being able to keep my promise… I gave you my word that I won't get hurt no matter what… I promised you that I'll come out unscathed… And now, look at me… You were worried about my safety, and I just threw it out of the window carelessly… I… I broke our promise… And I can't forgive myself for that…"_

" _It doesn't matter!" Pyrrha yelled, as she grasped my hand in both of hers, and moved it close to her. "It's true that I was worried about you… It's true that I feared the worst of what will happen to you… I truly didn't want to see you hurt…! But…!" My head slowly turned towards Pyrrha, and I could see that tears were already forming in her eyes, as she expressed her feelings about everything that happened. "… But none of this matters! It doesn't matter if you broke your promise! It doesn't matter if you get hurt! If you're still alive… If you're still here with us… With me… That's all that matters…! That's all I ever wanted…!"_

" _Pyrrha…?" It never occurred to me then that Pyrrha was basically spilling out her feelings to me._

" _Jaune…! I don't know what I would do if you're gone…! You mean everything to me…! You gave me hope…! If I lose you, I… I…!" With each and every sentence, she held my hand closer and closer to her body, as she leaned closer and closer to me, her tears falling freely from her face, and onto my own. "Oh Jaune…!"_

 _What she did next was very shocking to me, and came out of my expectations._

 _She kissed me._

 _My eyes widened in shock as Pyrrha fully kissed me on the lips. I felt that my heart was bursting like mad, and my stomach had butterflies fluttering about. And subconsciously, I returned the kiss._

 _We stayed like that for a whole minute, and Pyrrha was the one to break the kiss. I looked up to her and saw that her tears were still falling, but her sweetest smile shined through them._

" _Jaune… I love you…"_

 _End of flashback_

Third-person Point of View

"… At that point, I finally realized that Pyrrha actually loves me. All of the signs back then were crystal clear to me. That night on the rooftop, the training sessions, the dance… All of them were right there. I just couldn't see it because of I never expect it to happen. I mean, she's Pyrrha! The champion of the Mistral Tournament! One of the greatest fighters the school has ever had! There was no way that she would be interested in a weak and pathetic guy like me! No way, no how!"

As Jaune explained the story of how he came to learn that Pyrrha loved him, right in the end, he smiled as he thought back about the event, and how it made him feel like the luckiest man ever on the planet. "… And yet, it happened. Pyrrha loves me. She loves little old me. Not because I was flirty or boasting about my good looks or anything. But because I was being myself. I gave her hope. I treated her like a friend she never had. And it made me feel good."

The waiter was listening attentively to Jaune's story, as a smile crept up in his face. "Incredible. To think that the champion of the Mistral Tournament would be a very soft and kind girl, especially around you, good sir. I guess that, despite appearances, everyone is the same inside. They just never had the courage to approach it like this, unlike you."

"I guess it's true that things came in naturally, without me ever realizing it." Jaune chuckled, as he scratched the back of his head.

"So I take it that, after this whole thing, you two became a couple, correct?"

The blond swordsman, instead of confirming the waiter's claims, shifted his gaze as he smiled nervously. "Ehh… Heh heh… About that…"

The waiter raised his eye brow. "Wait… You had yet to acknowledge her love?"

"It's… embarrassing, really." Jaune drooped his head. "Even though she made very clear that she loves me, even so far as to say it herself and kissing me… I thought that there was no way that it was ever true, and that all of it was just my imagination. So, for a day or two, things got… awkward between us…"

"Oh dear. I can't imagine how that would look like."

"But because of that, I felt guilty. Every time I traded looks with her, she would always look sad. And each and every time, I convinced myself that it wasn't all in my head. That she really did confessed her love to me. I wanted to apologize to her in some way, find a way to return her feelings for me." Jaune then started to frown, as he reached the start of the main issue of his story. "But then… Things got complicated."

"… The other two girls." The waiter replied.

The blue-eyed knight nodded. "Just as I was trying to find a way to make up to her, one of them came to me, and… Well… Here's where the second part of my dilemma started. To me, it was more unlikely that she has feelings for me. In fact, all of the discussions between us were friendly and supportive. I never realized that underneath all of that, there was hint of her affection towards me."

"And this second girl… Who is she, if I may ask so boldly?"

Jaune took a deep breath, as he closed his eyes and thought back at the second girl, at the event that brought them together. The appearance of a young, confident and independent girl was the first thing to come in mind. She had short black hair with tinges of red, and she also sported a pair of unique silver eyes. She was the first person who befriended him when he first came to Beacon many months ago, and since then, she had been supportive of him and inspired him to keep going as the leader of Team JNPR. And as he grew stronger and more confident, so were her feelings for him as the result.

Jaune reopened his eyes as he was about to reveal the name to the waiter.

"… Ruby Rose."

 **End of Prologue 1**

 **Well, guys, there you have it! The first part of the prologue is now done! So what do you guys think? Is it to your liking? Was there any errors that I made in respect of the writing and characters and setting? Trust me, I was afraid that I might have ruined the characterization, but I'm unsure if that's the case. It is my first chapter after a long while, after all. There will be some edits to the chapter in the future, when needed.**

 **But anyways, I hope that the ideas that I presented to you in this story interested you. The next part of Prologue will focus on Ruby, and after that, Weiss. So if you plan on following the story, stay tune for the next two prologues.**

 **Well then, I've said my part. So see you guys later! And reviews are very appreciated, thank you!**


	2. Prologue 2

**What's up, folks! It's me, Anomynous Nin! And I'm back with the second prologue of An Arc's Heartache that manly focuses on Ruby! I hope that I didn't make you guys wait too long, because this part of the prologue took me a long while, and it's also longer than the first part of the prologue. So this is a warning for you guys expecting a quick read from this part of the prologue!**

 **But before we begin, there's only one thing that I want to say. I love Ruby/Jaune, or RosyArc, or Lancaster, whatever you guys want to call it. It's been my favourite pairing since I started watching RWBY. And as such, this part of the prologue contains a lot more moments between Ruby and Jaune than with the previous part between Pyrrha and Jaune. However, even though Ruby/Jaune is my favourite pairing, I'm not gonna put preference on it for the rest of the story, since I want to balance things out between all three pairings. But just for now, you guys will get to see just how much effort I put into this Lancaster-focused prologue.**

 **And one more thing, as I said before, I want to try to keep the characters' personalities and the setting of the series constant, and I'm feeling pretty uncomfortable if I find out that the things I wrote are a little off from the source material. If you guys don't mind the slight difference from the actual series, then fine by me. I'm just pretty concerned about disrespecting the source material, that's all.**

 **One last thing before we start. I'm not sure if the whole chapter is alright, and I think it is, but I feel like things are a bit off near the end of this part of the prologue. This is my warning to you, and you're free to comment on it if necessary. I'll make the necessary edits, if possible.**

 **Well, I kept you guys waiting already, so let's start the chapter!**

"Speaking"

' _Thoughts'_

 _Flashback_

Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by the late Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth.

 **Prologue 2:**

 **Prelude to Heartache: Ruby**

 _Ruby Rose… When I first found out that Ruby had been accepted to Beacon two whole years earlier than expected, the first thing that popped into my head was that she must be special. I don't think I've heard of anyone else who had the privilege of being accepted to Beacon this early on. It was especially apparent when she was chosen to be the leader of Team RWBY. Since I saw her in action, I couldn't argue with the results._

 _What can I say about her…? Ruby is the first friend that I made since I came to Beacon, and the same is true for her about me. She's strong, what with her using a pretty heavy scythe and sniper rifle combo weapon in combat. She's intelligent, since she basically made that complex weapon herself. She's also independent, since I can't recall a single instance where she had a hard time dealing with the situation herself. Blessed with a quirky personality and a strong sense of compassion and leadership, she's probably the closest thing to a great leader that everyone wants to follow._

 _In other words, she's more of a leader than I could ever be._

 _My skills are nothing compared to her own. She always came up with great tactics, while I could only think of simpler ones. She always brightened up the atmosphere with her upbeat attitude, while I made it gloom and doom without meaning to. She's socially awkward, like me, but she always found a way to get around that. I always fall short. Compared to Ruby, I'm basically a failure at being the leader that I was chosen to be…_

… _But Ruby never let it get to me. She always encouraged me to keep going as the leader. She believed that my becoming the leader in the first place was never a mistake. Whenever I found myself doubting how legit my position is, she was always there to lift my spirits up and to keep my mind away from my personal issue. She inspired me to keep going. She inspired me to keep reaching for my goal. And because of her, I'm striving to become just as great of a leader as she is._

 _For all the times that she supported me, for all the talks that we exchanged as fellow leaders and friends, it never occurred to me that, underneath it all, she has feelings for me…_

 _Two days had passed after Team JNPR completed its mission, and after Pyrrha confessed her love to me. It took me two days to convince myself that Pyrrha's confession was never in my head, and that it was as real as it can be. Guilt took hold of my very being, as I never acknowledged her love once, and each time I traded looks with her, she would always give me a heartbroken expression._

 _I wanted to to make up to her for that. I wanted to return her feelings for me with my own. So I though of doing something special for the team, especially when the purpose was to return her love. I couldn't think of anything extravagant, so I decided to try and bake something special for the team. Ren offered to help me out with that, but I turned down the offer. It fell to me to make Pyrrha happy again, and it was the least that I could do to finally acknowledge her love._

 _I went inside of the kitchen dorm, thankfully still vacant, and took out all the essential materials from their respective drawers and cabinets, like wooden spoons, a measuring cup, rolling pin, you know… All the kitchen stuff. I placed all of them on the counter, as I stood by, trying to figure out how I should approach it. Since I was planning to bake something for the team, the first thing to come to mind was cookies. A bit simple, but it should do the trick. Cookies were apparently the easiest things to bake, so I thought that it should be a piece of cake_

 _But then, I realized one thing…_

"… _Oh crap, I don't know how to bake them!"_

… _Yep. Despite living with seven sisters for most of my childhood, I never once bothered to learn how to cook, let alone bake. Suddenly, I regretted not having my parents teach me something as simple as that._

 _There I stood, my elbows pressing against the counter, my hands gripping my hair, as I panicked, with numerous of thoughts passing through my mind. It was supposed to be a gift for the entire team. Its purpose was to cheer Pyrrha up. And I didn't even know a SINGLE thing about baking cookies. Nice, Jaune. Nice of you to jump the gun before you even consider how skilled you are at it._

"… _Jaune? Is that you?" A voice suddenly called out to me and snapped me out of my turmoil, as I turned my head towards the front door. My eyes came in contact with a young girl with silver eyes who wore a red cloak over her school uniform, who was peeking her head out from behind the door._

" _Ruby?" I called out her name upon recognizing who she was._

" _Oh, wow! What a surprise to see you here, Jaune!" Ruby exclaimed, as she fully entered the kitchen. "Normally, Ren would be the one to use the kitchen dorm, so I never expected to see you instead."_

" _Oh, uh… Heh heh… I have my reasons." I replied while scratching the back of my head. "But I'm more surprised to see you here, though. I overheard Weiss saying how you two are going to a cultural event today, back in the cafeteria. So what gives?"_

" _Oh yeah! That! Well, uh… I decided not to go because, um… You know, socially awkward around people." Ruby sheepishly smiled. "Yang won't be there to help me, since she and Blake already have plans to go downtown to do some all-day shopping there. So, I'm pretty much on my own for most of the day."_

" _Oh, I gotcha. Sure." I nodded in understanding. It had been a while since I've seen Team RWBY, except during class. So seeing Ruby again after a while like that was a bit refreshing. It made me feel relaxed._

 _Ruby walked over to my side as she took a curious look over all the items that were sitting on the counter. "Sooo, whatcha doing here? Seeing as you got all of those stuff out for some reason, you must be doing something special."_

" _Actually, yeah, I am." I replied. "It's something that I want to do for the team, since, you know, I thought that it's part of a leader's responsibility."_

" _Cool! So what are you making?"_

" _Well… I was thinking of baking some cookies for my teammates, but…" I was about to explain my situation there, but I trailed off, when I noticed something peculiar about Ruby._

 _I think that the instance I mentioned the word 'cookies', her expression quickly brightened up, and her eyes had a little shine in them. She leaned forward as she gazed at me with excitement. "Did you say cookies?! Awesome! I love cookies! Do you mind if I take one of them?! Or maybe two?! Or more?!"_

" _Whoa, calm down, Ruby! I mean, sure! I can give you at least one or two of them." I replied. Ruby cheered as she jumped around like a little kid who just got candy. She looked really cute when doing that. Though, I shifted my eyes nervously, as my situation hadn't changed. "But, uh… I may have run into some… problems."_

 _Ruby stopped jumping as she tilted her head curiously. "Problems?"_

" _Uh… Well, you see…" I started to speak about my issue, as I scratched the back of my head nervously. "I… may not know how to bake cookies… Or anything baking or cooking related in general. It's embarrassing, I know. Baking cookies was the first thing that came to mind when I want to do something special for the team, and I just realized now that I have no experience in that at all. It'll be especially awkward if I go and ask Ren for help with that too…"_

 _As I explained my problems to Ruby, I only realized then that Ruby had an interesting expression on her face. She had a very wide smile and her eyes continued to shine with great delight. I looked at her confusingly, wondering what set her off like that. "Uh… What's the matter, Ruby?"_

" _Soooo, you're saying that you need someone to teach you how to bake?" she asked, her wide smile never fading from her face. "Weeeeell, lucky for you, you're speaking to the expert in cookie baking right here! Here to save the day!"_

" _Whoa, really?" I asked with astonishment. "You know how to bake them?"_

 _It was a stupid question to ask, but Ruby was kind enough to answer. "Yup! Been an expert for seven years! My dad was the one who taught me how. He said that my mom used to bake them for us. So it's sorta a Rose family specialty, but I have no problem passing down the knowledge to you, Jaune!"_

" _A-are you sure about this? I mean, I don't want to be a bother just because I never learn how to do simple stuff like this…"_

" _Trust me, Jaune! I always help a friend in need! It's a personal duty of mine." Ruby insisted as she wrapped her arm around my shoulders and made a gesture with her hand to show a vision of a future scenario. "Because by the end of the day, once you really know how to bake, your skills are gonna get better and better until you become the greatest baker the world has ever known. And the ladies will definitely be fawning over you, saying, 'Oh my gosh, that Jaune guy is soooo cool! And I want to date him!'"_

 _I chuckled at the absurd scenario that Ruby just told me. Though, I think the absurdity of it prevented me from noticing the hint that she gave me about her own feelings. It just flew by my head. "Well, if you really want to help me that much, then I can't just say no, can I? Thanks, Ruby." Ruby gleamed a smile at me. "I don't know how to thank you enough for this."_

" _Weeeeell, you can always give me a cookie or two. That's payment enough."_

" _Heh heh… It's a deal."_

 _Ruby gave me another big smile as a reply. She then took another look at all the essentials laying on the counter, to see if everything was all there and accounted for, it seems. "So I've been meaning to ask… What kind of cookies are you going to make, Jaune?"_

" _Oh, what kind? Well, uh…" I never thought of that. Baking cookies was my first and upmost objective at the time, and I never thought of what kind of cookies that I should be making. So I took the time to think it through, and I gave my answer. "Well, I was thinking that I should bake the team chocolate chip cookies. Everyone likes the classics, right? So I'm down with-"_

" _Nope." Ruby cut me off._

"… _No?" I looked at her, perplexed by her quick and short comment._

" _Nope." she repeated. Did she just shot down chocolate chip cookies?_

" _Uh, yeah… I guess it's too obvious. Um…" I took another short while to think of another kind. "Well, if we're going for specifics, then I guess we can try cookies with sprinkles-"_

" _Nope." She cut me off again., as I took another perplexed look at her._

" _Uh… Then, how about peanut butter?"_

" _Nope."_

" _Banana?"_

" _Nope."_

" _Cherry?"_

" _Nope."_

 _'Cinnamon?"_

" _Nope."_

" _Coconut?"_

" _Nope."_

" _Gingerbread?"_

" _Nope."_

" _Bacon?!"_

" _Nope… Also, ew."_

"… _All of the above?!"_

" _Interesting, but nope."_

" _Ruby…! I'm drawing a blank here…!" I panicked, as I couldn't find any other possible kinds that we could agree with. "You shot down every last suggestion that I could think of…! There's nothing left for me to choose…!"_

" _Sorry, Jaune." she apologized, though her position on the choices still stood. "I know that you're just starting to learn how to bake cookies, but if you want to do something special for the team, then none of the old ones are gonna be worth our while. Therefore, we need to go deeper! Even deeper than the classics!" Ruby declared as she pointed her index finger high up to the ceiling._

 _Even deeper than the classics? I couldn't even think of anything unique out of it. "Ruby, do we really need to go that far? I still think that chocolate chip cookies are a way to go…"_

" _Of course we do!" she exclaimed. "It's what leaders do! At least, for me, it is. Whenever I want to do something special for my team, I always work hard to make it the best thing ever. Last time, I handcrafted a lot of meaningful gifts for each member of the team. A yellow dress with flame patterns for Yang…" Ruby was stroking her fingers for some reason when she spoke about it. "… A handmade book about our adventures together for Blake, and a white rose hair clip for Weiss. They absolutely love my gifts!"_

" _Wow. So, you always put some effort into stuff like this, huh?"_

 _Ruby nodded in response. I always admired her for working hard for the sake of her friends. It's one of the many good qualities she has, as the leader of Team RWBY. Knowing that she wanted it to be really meaningful, it encouraged me to emulate her beliefs. "Well… I guess putting a little bit more effort isn't a bad idea."_

" _Cool! I'm glad you think so too!" Ruby smiled._

 _Although I agreed to follow Ruby's example on making meaningful cookies, the fact remained that I have no idea where to go from there. But maybe Ruby might know a thing or two. "Sooo… Any ideas on what kind of cookies that we should make?"_

" _I'm glad you ask!" Ruby grinned. "It just so happens that I discovered one type of cookie in particular that really outshines the rest! The sweetest and the most rare cookie that can only be found here, in Vale!" Once she started to talk about that rare cookie flavour, Ruby got progressively excited, so much so that, with each sentence, she popped in and out at different spots of the kitchen, including the ceiling. "Ohh, I still remember the first time that I took a bite out of it! It felt sooooo sweet in my mouth! Its texture was out of this world! For a moment, I thought that I went to heaven because of the taste! It truly is the treat of the Gods! It's sweet! It's tasty! It's scrumptious! It's… It's…! It's ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!"_

 _I was taken aback by Ruby's sudden sweet-toothed rant about that godlike cookie that she was talking about, as I tried to keep her in my sights the whole time. I realized that Ruby was such a sweet-tooth, and I had to recollect myself on how big of it she was. "Umm… You kinda lost me there. So, what exactly is it?"_

" _Well…" Ruby turned to look at me after recovering from her sudden burst of happiness. "I heard that it's called the Sakura Cookie, which is an unique type of cookie that only Vale is known to produce. In fact, I know just one bakery that sells those!_

" _You do?"_

" _Yup! I've been a regular customer to that bakery ever since I came to Beacon. I'm sure that the owner is more than willing to help us out with it. So what do you say we go take a visit there?"_

" _Well, you do sound very sure about it, so why not." I shrugged._

" _Great!" Ruby gave me a huge grin, as she grabbed my wrist and pulled me along to where she wanted to go. "I know just where to find it! So come on, Jaune!"_

" _Alright, alright, no need to pull!" I said while getting dragged along to our destination._

 _The whole thing was supposed to be one that I had to deal with myself. I never intended to have anyone involved with my mess. But Ruby was very determined to get herself involved, for the sole purpose of helping me. In fact, she always showed up whenever I get stuck in a troublesome situation, and I was really grateful that she'd do it for my sake, and for the others' sake too. It never occurred to me that she had a hidden reason for doing so…_

* * *

 _The bakery that Ruby told me about was located in the commercial district of Vale. In fact, I remembered passing by the bakery more than once during the whole year when I went shopping with Team JNPR, but I never bothered to try out their pastries. The establishment seemed pretty small at first glance, but from what Ruby told me, it already garnered a lot of customers despite its small size._

 _I followed Ruby to where the bakery was, and we both went inside. I looked around the place and noted its environment. Red brick walls, a couple of small tables around the place, a black chalkboard on the wall with the specials written on it, a large display case showing a lot of pastries… Yep. It's a bakery, alright._

 _Ruby was very excited when we came there. She couldn't stop staring at the pastries, like it was her first time. I guess that's what you'd expect from a sweet-tooth like her._

 _Just behind the display case and the counter, the impact door was pushed open, as it revealed a large, balding man with a pretty fancy mustache who wore an apron and a chef hat, carrying a plate of freshly baked biscuits. He let out a big jolly smile at Ruby the moment he saw her. "Hoho! Why, if it isn't one of my favourite customers in Vale! Ruby!"_

" _Hey, pops!" Ruby flashed a smile at the chef. "Glad to see you again!"_

" _Hoho! Glad to see you too, my young child!" The chef replied, as he placed the plate down on the counter. Their friendly exchange was all I need to know that the two were really acquainted. Afterwards, his gaze fell on me, as he raised a curious eyebrow. "Hoh? And who is this fine young man? Could it be that this is your boyfriend?"_

 _I chuckled nervously at the chef's assumption. As for Ruby, she reacted with embarrassment, as she turned her head to me for a sec before turning it back towards the owner and waving her hands in denial. For a split second, I thought that I saw her blushing. "Wha… No, no, no! Jaune isn't my boyfriend! H-he's just a… a…!"_

" _Um… M-my name is Jaune." I said as I stepped in, still a bit shy. "Ruby's friend. She brought me here because we're looking for something that you might have."_

" _Ah-hah! A friend! I see!" The chef nodded his head in understanding. "Well, a friend of my favourite customer is always welcome here! Now, what can I do for you?" He then snapped his fingers. "Ahh, I know! You want some of those delicious chocolate chip cookies, am I right? Hold on! I'll prepare a fresh batch of those this instance!"_

" _Actually, pops," Ruby spoke, stopping him from going back into the kitchen to make some more cookies. "We're actually here to ask you about one type of cookie in particular. You know, the Sakura Cookie?"_

" _Sakura Cookie? Oh hoh, you have great taste, my child! You're in luck! I still have some in stock, already freshly baked since this morning! Just tell me how many you want, and you'll get it!"_

" _No, no, we're not here to buy the cookies from you, pops." Ruby explained, as she motioned her hand over my way. "It's just that Jaune wants to bake them himself."_

" _Hm?" The chef took another look at me, as he leaned over and stroked his chin in a studying matter. "Is this true? You want to try and bake the Sakura Cookies yourself?"_

" _Uh… Yeah. Well, actually…" I replied, rubbing the back of my neck in a nervous matter. "I don't know how to bake stuff yet, so Ruby offered to teach me how. And she insisted that we try and make what's apparently the greatest cookie that you have in your disposal."_

" _Ahh, I see, I see!" he nodded before turning back towards Ruby. "It is very nice of you to help a friend in need! I know it to be the case the first time I saw you, Ruby!"_

" _Heehee! It's what I do." Ruby giggled._

 _The chef nodded approvingly, but then, he started to frown, as he leaned back. "Unfortunately, there is nothing that I can do to help you." he said, while Ruby and I looked at him confusingly. "I'm afraid that I already used up the last of the main ingredient used to make the Sakura Cookies, the Sakura Sap. If you had come just a day earlier, I would gladly hand you the last jar. But now, I have none."_

" _Whaaat? Seriously? Oh man…!" Ruby pouted as she kicked the ground in disappointment._

 _Everyone was talking about that Sakura Cookie and that sap like it was common knowledge for them. As for me, I had no clue about the cookie or the sap itself. So to clear my confusion, I decided to ask outright. "Um, excuse me, sir, but what exactly are those Sakura Cookies? And the sap used to make them?"_

" _Hm? You haven't heard of the Sakura Cookies?" The chef asked with surprise, in which I answered with a head shake. "Why, it is a very unique type of cookie that only Vale is known to produce. People from all over the four Kingdoms, including those who live in the outskirts, have come to my bakery and others to learn of its exquisite taste. The process to baking them is almost exactly like with the other cookies, except that the main ingredient, in this case, is the rare Sakura Sap."_

" _So, this sap that you're talking… Where do we find it, exactly?"_

" _Yes! It is very imperative that you know where it originates! You listen as well, Ruby!" he said, as both Ruby and I nodded in confirmation. "I'm sure that you know about Forever Fall, yes? To clarify your minds, Forever Fall is a large area covered by a forest of red-leafed trees. Through most of the year, it consists of nothing but red-leafed trees, so there is no one tree that stands out from the rest. Except during this time of the year, the fall season."_

" _What happened during this season?" Ruby asked._

" _A strange phenomenon occurred when some of the trees go against the nature of the area. The trees' behaviour changed, and the red leaves are replaced by pink petals instead. Those trees become unique, and they illuminate a small portion of Forever Fall in a field of bright pink petals. Those trees are known as Sakura Trees."_

" _Whoa… Cool…!" It was easy to see that Ruby had become engrossed by the origin of those strange and unique trees._

" _And it's from those trees themselves that the Sakura Sap comes from. Just like the Red Sap from the regular, red-leafed trees, the Sakura Sap can be extracted from it in very much the same way. Once its essence was drained from it, The Sakura Tree's petals will all fall momentarily, and the tree itself will wither and die. And that, my friends, is the strange nature of the Sakura Tree, and the origin of the Sakura Sap."_

 _To be honest, I found myself a bit interested by the lecture the chef gave us. I never thought that, somewhere in Forever Fall, there existed trees that acted differently from the others, and they were able to produce an unique substance that only some knew about. I guess that's why Vale was the only known Kingdom to have Sakura Cookies. But I wondered if there were still some left. "So, about those trees… Do you think that we can find them still?"_

" _It is very doubtful that there are any left…" The chef shook his head sadly. "The Sakura Cookies are a very popular type of cookies during this time of the year, and it was very crucial for bakers such as I to acquire the sap in the beginning of the season. I'm afraid that, at this point, there are no more Sakura Trees left."_

 _Both Ruby and I groaned in defeat. No Sakura Trees? Then there was no way for us to make those Sakura Cookies for the team, at that point. But in that case, I was totally okay to go back to the basic stuff instead. I still thought that chocolate chip cookies are a good choice as an alternative…_

" _But, but…! There's gotta be some left!" Ruby argued, unwilling to accept the fact that the Sakura Cookies were a lost cause. She was really dedicated to helping me make the best cookies ever. "I mean, it's still possible that you guys might have a missed a tree or two! I mean, Forever Fall is a big forest! There's no way that the entire forest was searched!"_

 _The chef, instead of shooting down Ruby's claims, looked like he was actually pondering about that possibility. "Hmm… Now that you mention it… True, we might not have searched the entire forest. There might still be at least one tree left uncared for."_

 _Ruby's expression brightened up, as she turned to me, looking very determined. "So we still have a chance! We can still bake your team the best cookies that they'll ever taste! Come on, Jaune! Let's go to Forever Fall to search for that Sakura Tree and make us some cookies!"_

" _Oh, um… Sure. If it makes you happy." I said._

 _Both Ruby and I turned towards the front door, as we were about to set off to Forever Fall to find that rare tree that we were told about. But just before we took a step forward, the chef suddenly cried out to us in panic. "W-wait! Just hold on a minute!"_

" _Huh? What's up, pops?" Ruby asked, as she turned her head back towards the chef._

 _When I did the same, the chef was reaching his hand out to us, and he looked very pale. What was he afraid of? Why did he stop us from going on our search? "A-are you thinking of searching for the Sakura Tree and extract the sap from it?!"_

" _Well, yeah!" Ruby nodded. "We just have to find it ourselves. It's for the sake of Jaune's team, after all."_

" _No, no, no, no, no! I-I can't let you go like this! It's too dangerous" The chef frantically exclaimed._

"… _What's the matter, sir?" I asked._

 _The chef let out a distressed sigh, as he pulled out a rag and tapped his forehead with it. "T-there is something about the Sakura Sap that you two should absolutely know! It's very important that you understand!"_

 _Both Ruby and I exchanged confused looks before we turned ourselves back towards the chef, as we listened to his warnings. "You see, the Sakura Sap has a very strong and attractive aroma. The smell is so strong that it can spread over the entire area of Forever Fall, possibly even beyond that. But the thing about the scent is that it attracts a certain kind of being, and that is what I am worried about. It attracts… Grimm."_

 _The word 'Grimm' was enough to send shivers down my spine, as I learned that what we were dealing with was a dangerous situation. "G-Grimm…?"_

" _That's right. But if you thought that the Grimm living in Forever Fall is of no issue at all, then you haven't heard of the effects the scent has on them. When the Grimm smell the aroma, they all gather around the tree where the Sakura Sap was extracted from. And not only that, the Grimm's overall behaviour changes. They become aggressive, their raw strength significantly increases, and they will tear off the heads of any unsuspecting person they first see, with extreme prejudice! They will reach a completely different level than normal!"_

 _As I listened to the chef's lectures, fear started to envelop my being, as I sweated and widened my eyes in horror at the thought of facing against abnormally powerful Grimm. My legs almost gave out from fright. And when I shifted my gaze at Ruby, for some reason, she had a look of wonder on her face, as if the thought of Grimm tearing into her wasn't startling to her in the least._

" _You see, this is why I, and the other bakers, issued a mission to Beacon to collect the Sakura Sap while fending off Grimm. And from my understanding, it is a mission suitable for third-year students and higher. It is that dangerous. That is why I'm telling you not to go search for the tree!"_

 _I gulped in fear after I was given that warning. I was about to agree with him about the whole thing being dangerous, but Ruby spoke first with a determined tone. "So that's what you're worried about? No problem! Jaune and I can take care of those Grimm!"_

" _Huh?!" Both the chef and I looked at her in disbelief._

" _Yeah! I already went to a mission as dangerous as this! So Grimm get aggressive after whiffing a smell of the sap. Not a big deal! We just take them out like the rest of them! It's our job! Right, Jaune?"_

 _When she turned to me for my opinion on the matter, I could only stutter in sheer disbelief. I mean, we were dealing with a very life-threatening mission! And she thought that it's a-okay?!_

" _Right!" Ruby said, apparently taking my stuttering as a yes, despite my protest. "So all we need to do is to find the Sakura Tree, pull out the sap, beat the crap out of those Grimm, and we're done! Piece of cake!"_

" _But Ruby, this is serious!" The chef shouted. "You are still a first-year student! You're still a very young girl! I cannot forgive myself if anything were to happen to both of you! Please understand!"_

" _Pops… It's okay. You don't have to worry about us." Ruby reassured the chef. To prove her point, she quickly pulled out her large scythe, Crescent Rose, from behind her back. I quickly backed up before the unfolding weapon could whack me right in the face, and the chef was caught by surprised by the appearance of the large scythe. "I'm a huntress of Beacon. I trained for this. Exterminating Grimm of any and all kind is my job, as is the job of all huntsmen and huntresses. If I can't deal with one mission, then what good am I as a huntress? Besides, I went through more dangerous things than that in my whole life. So you don't need to worry about me, pops…"_

 _The chef looked like he was caught by surprise at how determined Ruby was about the whole thing. I was too. I thought to myself, was she really willing to risk her life because it was her job as a huntress? Suddenly, I wasn't okay with her stance on it._

 _It took the chef a while to reconsider his thoughts on the matter, as he nodded reluctantly. "Alright… Just be careful out there, my chilld."_

" _You can count on me! Let's go, Jaune!" Ruby exclaimed, as she turned around and walked towards the exit, while she retracted her scythe and put it back on the back of her belt._

 _Instead of following her, I let my sights follow her on her way out, as I still couldn't believe that she was willing to go through such danger without any regard for her life. I gritted my teeth, as I ran out of the bakery to catch up to her, trying to convince her to reconsider._

" _Ruby, wait!" I shouted out to her once I got out of the bakery._

 _Ruby turned her head towards me as she looked on wondering. "Hm? What is it, Jaune?"_

" _Ruby, I really, really hope that you're kidding about going to Forever Fall where powerful Grimm are waiting for us!"_

" _What's there to joke about?" she shrugged. "I'm one hundred percent serious about going there."_

" _But didn't you hear what the chef just said?! We're dealing with Grimm that are unusually powerful and that can rip us apart no problem!"_

" _Isn't that always the case? We've been dealing with those kinds of monsters all the time."_

" _Look, if it's for my sake, then please, just forget about it! There's no point in going there if it means that our lives are in danger!"_

" _Jaune, if you're worried about getting yourself hurt, then I'm not forcing you to come with me. It's fine! I can take care of it! I won't stop until I got what you need for the team!"_

 _Frustrated, I scratched my head with both hands, as I still looked at Ruby with eyes filled with concern. Was she that oblivious in the face of danger? Was she always that reckless in a tough situation like that? I had to let her know my feelings on the whole matter. "It's not just me that I'm worried about! I'm also worried about you, Ruby!"_

 _Ruby looked surprised, as evident by her small gasp and her eyes widening. She slowly turned herself towards me while still keeping an air of surprise. "Jaune?"_

 _I let out a sharp breath, as I started to explain to her my worries. "Ruby… You gotta know, I'm really worried about you taking on something as dangerous as that. Ever since you tried to call me when Vale got breached, I started fearing for your life, and the others' lives too. At first, I thought that I could let you handle it, since your team are one of the best ones among first-year students. But the more I thought about it, the more I got worried about your safety… It's just gnawing at me to know that my friends are out there, inside enemy territory, endangering themselves just because it's their job…"_

 _Ruby listened to my concerns as she looked on with a soft expression on her face._

" _Besides… This is my problems that we're talking about. Therefore, the only person who should be worried about that is me. I never meant to drag you into this, Ruby. I don't want you to do this for me. Especially when you have to put your life in danger just because it's for a pathetic and cowardly guy like me… I…"_

"… _Jaune." Ruby spoke, stopping me from saying anymore. When I looked up to her, she had a very sincere smile, and her expression showed that she understood my worries. "… Have I ever told you why I want to be a huntress in the first place?"_

" _Huh? Well, no, but…"_

"… _Ever since I was just a little kid, Yang used to read me bedtime stories. Stories of a heroic warrior who fights against the forces of evil to save the world from darkness. Stories of a kind warrior who protects people and gives them hope for a bright future. Stories of a courageous warrior who is willing to do anything in his power to make everyone happy and make the world a better place. I always loved those kinds of stories when I was really young, and they helped me shape the kind of girl I want to be…"_

 _Ruby never told me any of that. I found myself willing to listen despite my wanting to convince her to drop her personal duty for me._

" _Jaune… The reason why I want to become a huntress in the first place…" she spoke as she placed both of her hands on her chest, closing her eyes in deep thought. "… is because I want to be a hero. A hero who fights to protect the people of the world from danger. To give them a brighter future as a huntress. It had always been my desire as far as I can remember… And I was happy that I was given the opportunity to do just that." She slowly opened her eyes as she gave me the same sincere look on her face, her determined smile never fading. "To be a hero… That is my dream."_

 _To be a hero… It was then that I realized that Ruby shared the same dream as me. The reason why I came to Beacon… The reason why I risked a lot to get into Beacon in the first place… was just so I can become a hero, like my father, my grandfather, and his father before him. I realized that Ruby and I shared a lot in common. And I slowly understood her resolve…_

" _And besides…" she started saying, as she took a step forward and got closer to me. Her smile slowly faded, as she looked up and gave me a concerned look. "… I'm also worried about you, Jaune. I know that you got better at fighting lately… But I still can't shake the feeling that this is too much for you to handle. I won't be able to forgive myself, if you ever get hurt… So please, let me handle this alone. To know that you're safe from harm's way is enough for me…"_

 _She was willing to risk everything for my sake. She was willing to do it for everyone's sake. It was then that I stopped worrying about her wellbeing, as I took the initiative. "No, Ruby. I can't let you go out there by yourself."_

" _Jaune, I…"_

"… _Because I'm coming with you." My declaration earned me a surprised gasp from her. I became determined to be by her side the whole way. "You may be fine with the fact that I won't get myself in danger. But I won't be if you will. So that's why I'm coming along with you, so that I can have your back, while you have mine. I won't take a no for an answer."_

" _Jaune…" Ruby looked like she was about to persuade me not to do anything of the sort, but after a short while, a soft smile crept onto her face, as she looked like she understood my resolve. "… Alright, Jaune. Then that settles it! Let's go and search for the Sakura Tree together!"_

" _Yeah!" I nodded in agreement._

 _And so, Ruby and I set off to Forever Fall in search for the mysterious and rare Sakura Tree, knowing the danger that awaited us there. Our resolves had become strong enough that we felt like we could take on anything, including strong Grimm. It was a dangerous mission that two leaders of two separate teams were willing to face._

* * *

 _It had been a while since I went to Forever Fall. The last time I went there, it was when Professor Goodwitch took Team RWBY, Team JNPR and Team CRDL to collect some Red Sap for research purpose back in the first semester. That day was pretty eventful for me, as I learned to stand up to some jerk to protect my friends, even if it meant getting pummelled in the process. But that's a story for another day._

 _When I came to the forest again, the area was pretty much the same as I last saw it. A large area filled with red-leaved trees with a couple of mountains, the grass looked reddish in colour, and even the sky had a faint red colour to it. Basically, everything is red all around in Forever Fall._

 _When we first entered the forest, Ruby was pretty much leading the way while I followed closely behind her, carrying a backpack full of jars. She was very eager to find the Sakura Tree despite being located somewhere in the deep forest of red-leaved trees which was about as big as the city of Vale itself, if not bigger. We managed to walk over a significant part of the area, or at least I think we did, passed through a lot of the trees, took down Grimm that we bumped into along the way, or at least Ruby did, just for the sole purpose of finding the rare Sakura Tree._

 _But after a while, I started to feel tired from all this search. We'd been walking through the forest a lot, and there wasn't anything that suggested that the special tree was anywhere around where we were. Granted, we were searching for a tree that everyone else had already taken care of earlier in fall, and it wasn't guaranteed that there was still some around. Though, I fought back the exhaustion, since we already came that far into searching the forest for the Sakura Tree._

 _Ruby, on the other hand, wasn't faring so well against it. I guess taking charge of the search the entire time must have zapped even more energy out of her than it did for me. And how do I know this? Well, if her basically shouting out for the tree and expecting it to answer her call wasn't obvious enough, then I don't know what is._

" _Oh Sakura Tree! Come out, Sakura Tree! Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Ruby shouted, as she scanned the area around her for a single sign of the tree's existence. "Don't be scared! We're just a couple of young, curious teenagers who just want to have a taste of your sap! So can you talk to us, please?!"_

 _I found Ruby's antics to be pretty funny. Her quirky way of approaching the situation made her a bit… Well, cute. Though, I thought that I should care for her before it got even more out of hand. "Uh, Ruby? I know it's been about four hours since we started searching the forest, but I don't think the Sakura Tree can hear us. Or even communicate with us."_

" _And how do you know?" she asked as she turned her head back towards me, in a tone that suggested that she didn't believe my claims on the matter. "It's not like we know all about the tree already! Sure, it has pink petals instead of red leaves, but that's just one thing we know about it! Maybe it behaves just like us, as in it can talk, feel, move and hear just like us! We're dealing with a very special tree, you know!"_

" _Heh heh… Somehow, I really doubt that." I chuckled at Ruby's obviously impossible claims. I think it was clear that my exhaustion had gotten to me, at that point._

 _We continued to walk through the dense forest, and along the way, Ruby pushed a branch of one of the trees she was passing by out of the way before she could bump into it. Suddenly, I had a flash back of what happened the last time I came across the exact situation._

 _Before she let go of the branch, I ducked down out of the way as the branch swung itself at nothing. I smirked to myself, as I finally learned my lesson from last time. But just as I got back up, the branch snapped right into the back of my head. I found myself kissing the ground afterwards._

" _Jaune! Are you okay?" Ruby called out to me, as I heard her footsteps coming closer to my side._

" _Urgh…! Yeah, I'm fine…!" I groaned while my face was still laying flat on the dirt. "Just nature's way of saying that it hates me…!" I lifted myself off of the ground with Ruby pulling me up along the way, and I sat down with my back leaning against the trunk of the tree, as I let out a tired sigh. "You know, I think it's a good time as any for us to take a bit of a rest here…"_

" _What? No way!" Ruby protested, as she placed her hands on her hips. "We don't have time to take a break here! The Sakura Tree is calling for us, I can feel it! I say we keep going until we find that tree, so get your butt off the ground, mister! No time to be exhausted around here!" As she said that, Ruby pointed her finger at me to assert her claims._

… _Or at least, she would've, if she wasn't looking and pointing at part of the tree trunk that was just above my head._

" _I think it's pretty obvious that you're the most tired out of the both of us here, Ruby…" I stated, trying to hide an amused smirk on my face._

" _Am not!" she said as she crossed her arms over her chest, still absently keeping her gaze at the trunk. "I'm still full of energy! I can still keep my focus out for the Sakura Tree wherever it is! No way am I gonna let exhaustion screw with my concentration!" As she continued to talk to the trunk, I had to put my hand up in front of her to make her notice me. When she realized that she was talking to a tree, her face turned red in embarrassment. "O-oh…"_

" _Now you see my point?" I asked amusingly._

 _Ruby let out a defeated sigh, as she finally sat down on the ground next to me, with her back also leaning against the trunk. "I just don't get it… I thought that finding that tree will be a piece of cake… I didn't think that it would take us that long to find it…" she said dejectedly._

" _Maybe we pushed our luck a bit too much?" I shrugged. "Our chances might have been really low, since Forever Fall was already searched way before we came in… If we're lucky, we might find the tree before the end of the day…"_

" _I hope…" Ruby yawned, as it finally dawned on her that she was getting really tired. "I really, really want to find the Sakura Tree as soon as possible… It's a special present for your entire team, Jaune… How can I call myself a huntress if I can't complete just one task for you guys' sake…?"_

 _I listened to Ruby's strong desire to find the tree for my sake and for the rest of Team JNPR's sake. She really wanted to accomplish just one, relatively minor task, because that was how it was for the kind of hero that she wanted to be. To see her working that hard just for me made me feel grateful for her, and I wanted to make up for it with my own efforts._

 _Soon, Ruby finally gave up to her weariness, as she slowly let her eyes close and nodded off. I thought of doing the same thing, as I leaned my head back against the trunk and let my own eyes close for just a little while._

 _As I tried to rest, I felt something pressing against my shoulder. I opened my eyes and looked to my side to see that Ruby had placed her head on my shoulder. I first thought that she was trying to find something comfortable to rest her head on. Never once had I thought that, no matter where we were at, I was always the most comfortable person that she would rely on._

 _Just seeing her napping like that, after all the hard work that she was willing to do to help a pathetic guy like me, it made me feel that our efforts shouldn't have gone to waste, not after all the troubles that we'd gone through. I then wished that we were able to find the Sakura Tree as soon as possible, just so that Ruby's efforts wouldn't be in vain._

 _A small amount of time had passed since the both of us rested, and I still couldn't find the chance to rest my eyes even once. My thoughts were entirely into hoping that our hard work was well worth it. And soon, I found myself imitating Ruby's antics from a while back._

" _Sakura Tree… Can you hear us?" I whispered softly, just enough as to not wake Ruby up. "Wherever you are, please give us a sign. Ruby here is trying very hard to find you just because I want to do something special for my team… I'm the only person who should be suffering through all of this, not her… So just please, give us something, anything, to tell us that you're here, somewhere… Don't let Ruby's efforts be for nothing…"_

 _A strong gust of wind soon blew in our way, as I tried to shield both Ruby and myself from it with the one hand not occupied by her. As the wind blew right through the dense forest of Forever Fall, red leaves were soon fluttering right by my sights. I watched as the red leaves were dancing into the wind, with no sign of the gust even stopping at that point._

 _But then, something among the dancing red leaves quickly caught my full attention._

 _Pink petal._

 _I widened my eyes in shock by the appearance of a pink petal floating into the wind along with the other red leaves. When it was floating close to where we were, I quickly caught it in my hand. As I set my clenched fist down below my face and I examined the petal very closely, to see if I wasn't imagining it, I quickly concluded that it was definitely a pink petal._

 _My hopes got reignited, as I started to gently shake Ruby awake by the shoulder. "Ruby…! Hey, Ruby…! Wake up…!"_

" _Mm… Jaune…?" Ruby moaned, as she slowly opened her eyes halfway, still looking pretty sleepy. "What's going on…?" I quickly showed her the pink leaf in my hand and, after Ruby took the time to readjust her head, her eyes quickly opened up, as she gasped in surprise and any sign of her drowsiness had quickly gone away. "A pink petal! Oh my gosh, I can't believe it!" she shouted, as she took the petal right out of my hands to examine it herself. "But where did you find it, Jaune?"_

" _I found it when the wind was blowing and the red leaves were floating right by us. As to where it came from…"_

 _Just as I wondered where the pink leaf came from, a stronger gust of wind blew right at us. As both Ruby and I attempted to keep ourselves steady, I saw more pink petals fluttering in my sights. The floating petals formed a windy trail, as I let my gaze follow where they originated. My perception of the trail then fell to a dense part of the forest where the pink petals were blown right out of there._

 _Our clue as to where the Sakura Tree was located finally appeared before us. Ruby and I shared a brief glance at each other, before we quickly stood up from the ground and, as if our exhaustion had gone away, sprinted right through the deep part of Forever Fall, following the trail of pink leaves._

 _We ran past a lot of the regular, red-leaved trees, and the number of pink petals in plain view increased as we got closer and closer to where they were blown from. Our hopes got bigger and bigger with each step we took. And once we passed through the last couple of trees, I thought for a moment that we just entered a completely different place._

 _As we slowed to a stop, I found myself standing on a large field of pink petals, surrounded by the regular trees of the forest. And right in the middle of the field, was where our sought-out tree was located._

 _The Sakura Tree itself._

 _I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe that we were able to find one of those things in the entire forest, and that was after knowing that all the other trees were already taken care of earlier in fall, and that we were near the end of the season. I just couldn't believe our luck. "Whoa…! The tree really DID hear our call…!" I said, wondering if the tree listened to my prayers, and by extension Ruby's. Of course, it was just a coincidence. A coincidence that came at the right moment._

" _Really? That's so cool…!" Ruby said, apparently believing that her facts about the tree were right._

 _I got over my shock over finding the Sakura Tree after a long time, and it was replaced with a feeling of amaze, as I was beholding the spectacular view of the tree and the field that it occupied. The scenery was very beautiful, the atmosphere had adopted a very bright and calm tone to it, most likely because of the pink leaves, the tree itself looked majestic and elegant as few of its petals fell from its branches in the most graceful way possible, bright light was reflecting everywhere in the area… Just everything about it was amazing._

 _I couldn't help but smile at the beautiful scenery in front of me, as my spirit felt like it was being soothed by it. I really felt like our struggle to find the Sakura Tree was really worth it, and there was no regret that lingered in my mind. "Wow…! It's so beautiful…" I spoke._

 _I wondered if Ruby shared the same reaction as I did. When I shifted my gaze towards her, I was caught by surprise just a little bit when Ruby was looking not at the wonderful scenery, but at me. She had a very wide and joyful smile. Her cheeks had a small, but noticeable blush in them as she gazed into my eyes longingly. I came to believe that what made her happy wasn't that we found the tree or that we witnessed the scenery in front of us, but it was because I was amazed by all of it._

 _Again, like an oblivious idiot I was, the hint of her affection for me went unnoticed by me. I got confused as to why Ruby was looking at me like that. "Uh… Ruby? Are you okay?"_

 _I snapped her out from her trance, as she gasped and realized what she just did. Her face had gone a little bit redder when she turned her gaze away from me. "Huh? O-oh, yeah, sure, I'm fine!" she quickly said before she paced herself towards the tree. "W-well, we finally found the Sakura Tree! All we need to do now is get the Sakura Sap! Let's go, Jaune!"_

 _I nodded in response as I followed her, though my confusion at her reaction from a moment ago still lingered somewhat._

 _As we marched towards the majestic tree, stomping on a few of the pink leaves under the sole of our feet along the way, we finally reached its trunk. Ruby analyzed the trunk with her eyes and hands to see if there was any spot that we could use to drain the sap. When she found a particular spot,, she pulled out Crescent Rose from the back of her belt and gently stabbed into the trunk with the bottom blade. "Sorry, Sakura Tree…!" she apologized._

 _It took her a bit of time before something started flowing out of the hole that she created. I saw that her expression brightened as she managed to get the sap flowing. When she turned her head to me, I quickly nodded in understanding before placing the backpack down and pulling out one empty jar from it. I handed her the jar and she placed it right under the hole for the sap to start flowing right into it._

 _As I watched the jar being filled with the Sakura Sap, I noted that the sap, on top of being pink in colour, had a bit of a sparkle in them, I guess to express their unique qualities._

 _The jar was completely filled up, and Ruby pulled it away from the trunk and observed its glittering beauty. "Oh wow…! So this is what the Sakura Sap looks like…!" she spoke with astonishment. She nodded her head to herself and handed me the sap-filled jar. "There's still more sap flowing out of the tree! Hand me another one!"_

 _I nodded in confirmation, as I pulled out and gave her the second empty jar, while putting the full one in the backpack. Ruby then started to fill the second one with the Sakura Sap._

 _While I waited for her to fill it up, I suddenly heard a suspicious sound. I turned my head back towards where I heard the sound to see what it was. I saw nothing. The area seemed perfectly fine just as it was when we first came there. Was it just my imagination?_

" _Got it! The second one is finished!" Ruby said, as she handed me the second jar full of Sakura Sap. "I think we still have more left for one more before we completely extracted the sap from the tree." I nodded in understanding, as I gave her the third empty jar._

 _At moment I gave her the jar, I heard the same suspicious sound again, and I recognized it to be the rustling of trees. It was definitely not my imagination. I turned my head back once more and kept a close watch around the area, and when the rustling sound was heard again, I could see that the trees in a distance away from us were swaying. The wind wasn't blowing at the moment, so it couldn't be what was causing the trees to move like that. There was only one other option that seemed very plausible, and it was something that I hoped that we wouldn't face._

" _Ruby?"_

" _Almost done! Just a bit more…!" she said, as she almost finished filling the jar._

 _I became alerted, as I turned myself towards where the danger might appear. I pulled out Crocea Mors in hand and extended my shield in my other arm just in case, as I scanned the area for any suspicious looking creature coming from a distance. The rustling sound was heard once more, and this time around, I saw that the trees near the border of the field were swaying. It was getting closer, I could definitely feel it…_

" _There! Done!"_

 _The moment Ruby announced it, a large, black furred creature jumped out of the woods and was already charging right at us as soon as we were done with the tree, its claws ready to swipe at us. Its ferocious roar alerted us of its fearsome presence. I recognized what it was from its large size, the shape of its skull mask, and the bone-like spines that protruded across its black-furred body._

" _Ursa!" I shouted its name to Ruby, as I quickly ran towards the charging beast, attempting to intercept its attack before it could even get near Ruby from behind._

 _When the both of us got close to each other, the monster swung its claws downward at me, and I blocked the attack with my shield. When the attack made contact, I suddenly went down to one knee, as I was caught off-guard by the Ursa's unnatural strength. "Urgh!?"_

" _Jaune!" Ruby called out to me, her tone suggesting that she wasn't expecting to see me get overwhelmed like that. The Ursa's paw was pressing down against my shield, as it attempted to push me further down on the ground. I quickly gained some strength, stood back up on both feet and, with a battle shout, pushed the Ursa off of me._

 _The Ursa was stumbling back, and before I could make a move, I saw a red blur passing by the corner of my eye. Ruby was already charging in, her scythe already unfolded in her hands, as she quickly slashed the Ursa apart before it could recover._

 _As the two pieces of the fallen Ursa fell on the ground, she quickly turned to me with a puzzled look. "Jaune, what was that just now?!"_

" _I don't know, Ruby…!" I replied, also puzzled by what I just witnessed. "I don't think Ursas are usually THAT strong…!"_

 _Before I could recover from my shock, the rustling of trees were heard all around, as both Ruby and I became vigilante over it, looking cautiously at our surroundings._

 _I walked backwards towards the tree, as my eyes still scanned for any enemies nearby. Ruby did the same thing, as she joined me. And just as we expected, an Ursa came out of the woods right in front of us, as it let out a huge roar. The both of us took up our fighting stance, as we turned our full attention towards the lone Ursa._

 _But before I could even make a move, I was caught by surprised when two more Ursas came out of the same pathway as the first one, also letting out a huge roar each. And then I noticed that a couple more showed up from a different pathway from the woods, then another couple more from another different path, and so on, so on, until we were basically surrounded by Ursas._

" _Oh great…! Just what we need…!" I said sarcastically, expressing my fear of facing a group of Ursas, let alone one. I remembered what the chef told us about the Ursas acting very aggressively and becoming unusually strong due to the scent of the Sakura Sap. I had always hoped that we wouldn't have to deal with that situation. "I don't think we should fight them when they're that strong…! We have to find a way out of there and leave!"_

" _No good." Ruby shook her head. "I can't see an opening between them. They're not gonna let us through that easily."_

" _So what now, then?"_

" _What do you think?" she smirked at me, as she cocked her scythe eagerly. "We're just gonna have to take them down one by one! So what if those Ursas got stronger just because they whiffed a smell of the sap? If we strike at them before they even have a chance to touch us, then we shouldn't have a problem here!"_

" _Fighting them is exactly my biggest worry, you know…" I sighed, since I was given no choice but to fight against our enemies._

 _As I watched the Ursa group marching towards us menacingly, I could see that one of them was roaring at us, another one was eagerly scratching the ground, and yet another one was slamming its paws against the ground, creating a small shockwave in the process. Their unnatural increase in strength was very apparent, and they were behaving rather aggressively, though I did note that their change in behaviour didn't seem that drastic than what we were used to. So maybe we might had a fighting chance?_

" _So, Ruby, think you got a plan for this?"_

" _Nothing that I can think of, for now." Ruby replied, before she moved her gaze towards the ground covered in pink leaves. "We could probably make use of the petals, somehow."_

" _Probably." I shrugged. When I tried to take a step back, the back of my heel bumped into something and I looked back to see the backpack full of the sap-filled jars, just sitting on the ground near the tree. "We can't let those Ursas get anywhere near the sap. Otherwise, all of this will be for nothing."_

" _Not on my watch."_

 _I took another look around to see if there was another objective that we had to keep in mind. When I found none at the moment, and that my view consisted of nothing but the creeping Ursas, there was only one plan that we could take. "So… We go for an all-out attack?"_

 _Ruby smirked and nodded at me. "That suits me perfectly, Jaune. Can I trust you to take care of a few of those Ursas?" she asked while her eyes were still observing the Ursa group._

" _As long as they don't pummel me to the ground. then I think I'll be fine." I replied._

 _Ruby nodded in understanding, and the both of us kept observing our enemies for any sign of sudden movement from one of them, as we had our weapons up in preparation for what was to come._

 _Only a short moment had passed, and one of the Ursas let out a huge roar, before all of them started to charge at us. "Right! Let's go!" Ruby shouted before she dashed in a red blur due to her semblance, while I began to charge towards one of the attacking Ursas in front of me, with my shield ready to block any incoming attacks, and with my sword steady at my side, ready to strike at any given opportunity._

 _My first target made its first move by lunging itself at me, trying to penetrate my flesh with its claws. I dodged its attack by rolling right under it and coming out behind it. I quickly got up on my feet and swung my sword at it to slice off its arm while it was trying to turn itself towards me. I thought that the attack would stun it, but to my shock, it immediately went for a horizontal claw attack with no sign of hesitation._

 _Although I ducked down from the attack, it was already moving itself in and tried to bite my head off. I held my shield up and thrusted it against its jaws, forcing it to stagger back just in time for me to decapitated its head clean off._

 _From my fight against my first opponent, I found out that, due to the effects of the scent, Grimm would ignore any and all pain as long as they could still kill._

 _When the corpse fell to the ground, another Ursa behind it was rapidly running towards me. I took a few steps back to prepare myself to avoid its attack, until I heard a roar from behind me. Turning my head back, there was yet another Ursa that was charging at my back._

 _When the two Ursas were close to ram themselves at me, I quickly rolled out of the way, causing them to collide with one another. As I got back up to face them, they already recovered from their collision and were already attacking with their claws one after the other. I gradually backed away to avoid their relentless barrage of claw attacks, some of them barely touching me._

 _I had to put my shield up when one of their attacks got close, and when the claws strike, I was driven back across the ground, only stopping myself by forcing my feet down against the earth. While I was recovering from the attack, one of the two Ursas was already making its move, lunging right at me with its arm ready to swing downwards._

 _I managed to sidestep away from its downward strike and, at the same time, slashed right across the same arm to take it apart. Without hesitation, I followed it up by lifting my sword high up and swing it down to cut the wounded Ursa in two, not giving it a chance to make its next move._

 _Before I could react, the second Ursa suddenly forced itself through the two halves of the first one and sent me rolling back across the ground. I quickly recovered by getting on my foot and knee, as I looked up and saw that the beast was already charging in, its mouth open to plunge its fangs into me._

 _I jumped off the ground just before it could reach me and ended up stepping on its head to jump higher. As I was falling, I turned myself around and finished the monster off by slashing downwards through its back before landing on the ground._

 _Its lifeless body collapsed to the ground, as I stood over it, panting. As I was rotating myself around to see if there was any more enemies nearby, I was suddenly hit by a furred forearm, sending me flying severals feet away. I crashed across the ground as I fell flat on my back, groaning in pain from the sneak attack and wondering what hit me._

 _I was just barely recovering before, while I was looking up, another Ursa was jumping and diving straight down at me. I had just enough time to move my shield up to stop the Ursa's fall and prevent it from coming further down at me, but as a result, I was pinned to the ground by it, with only my shield separating me from the beast trying to get a bite out of my face, and my arm holding Crocea Mors was pinned by one of its paws._

 _I tried pulling my head further down against the ground to barely avoid its fangs from getting me, as the monster kept on trying to munch my face. I pulled my legs up to me and proceeded to kick up against the Ursa with both feet, causing it to pull itself up from shove._

 _As I tried to sit myself up, the beast was already coming down on me with its gaping mouth. My other arm now free from its bind, I quickly lifted my sword up and ended up impaling the Ursa's skull from under its jaw. As its body went limp against the cross guard of my sword, I pushed it off of me, pulling my sword out of it, and stood up._

" _Wow…! I can't believe that I'm still in one piece…!" I said to myself, panting heavily after a lot of close calls. Their increased strength were really fearsome, alright, and I was lucky to survive against four subsequent Ursas._

 _I let my gaze fall on my shadow in front of me, as I tried to give myself a bit of time to breathe. Then, a larger shadow slowly overtook mine, and when I realized what it meant, I quickly turned around and saw two large, furred bodies flying straight at me. I ducked down to dodge their flying attacks, and when my gaze followed them through, I noticed that the two 'bodies' were two sliced pieces of a single body of an Ursa. When I turned my head towards where the two halves came from, my eyes encountered a certain, more experienced leader fighting against a small group of Ursas that were encircling themselves around her._

 _Ruby stood right in the middle of the surrounding group, consisting of six Ursas. She held her large scythe steady by her side, as she observed the enemies' movement. I noticed that, within the circling group, she was standing over tons of sliced corpses of the beasts, as I found out that she already defeated a lot more of them than me._

 _The Ursas continued to pace themselves around her, until one of them behind her eventually charged in and jumped right at her. It seemed like Ruby already noticed its attack, since she quickly turned and swung her scythe up, slicing the beast in half without a single delay in her movements. The Ursa on her left moved in immediately afterwards, followed by the one on her right. Immediately after her initial attack, she transitioned it into a spin attack that sliced off the first Ursa and then the second one._

 _An Ursa in front of her view was the next one to charge in, but this time, it moved in a zigzag pattern to try and throw her off-guard. Ruby seemed to be keeping up with its movement, since she managed to roll out of the way of its claw attacks at the end of its pattern. When she was done rolling over the ground, she picked up one half of one of the fallen monsters with the crescent part of her weapon and threw it at the beast._

 _The Ursa easily deflected the thrown object away, but failed to notice that Ruby was right behind the object and already in close proximity of it before she slashed it apart._

 _Yet another one of those monsters suddenly came up behind her, as it tried to slam both of its paws down on her. Ruby quickly vanished in a red blur, causing it to slam into nothing. The beast was trying to find her in its sights, realizing too late that Ruby appeared right behind it and had the blade of Crescent Rose hooking around its neck. She eventually dragged the Ursa into the ground and spun it around with her weapon before she tossed it at the last Ursa of the group who was about to move in for the attack._

 _After dealing with all six of the Ursas, Ruby noticed that more Ursas in a distance were running in her way. She readjusted her fighting stance to deal with the incoming enemies, until a roar from behind alerted her of one of the beasts' presence right on her back. She quickly turned around and shoved the top of her scythe against the body of the sneaking Ursa before it could lay a paw on her._

 _As she struggled to keep the Ursa away from her, Ruby turned her head back towards the incoming group of enemies that were still running at her. A smirk appeared on her face and she pulled the trigger to blast the front Ursa apart with the top of the scythe containing the barrel, and at the same time, propelled herself towards the charging group from the recoil._

 _She let her feet slide across the ground, as she pulled her scythe back before throwing a large horizontal swing to decapitate the enemies in the front, right as she stopped sliding further in. The front beasts' bodies collapsed, and one of the Ursas behind them was lunging itself at her._

 _She dodged the lunge attack by backflipping away, and once her feet touched the ground, she instantly jumped off and made a downward strike at it, impaling it to the ground. Using both her scythe and the impaled body of the monster, she lifted herself high up before falling forward, but not without lifting the corpse along with her scythe and throwing it at the group in front of her._

 _Immediately afterwards, two Ursas were running at her from both sides. She jumped back to evade each of their swinging arm attacks, and one of them quickly moved forward to throw a barrage of claw attacks at her. She backed away to avoid almost all of the attacks, and when it tried to attack her again with one arm, she spun Crescent Rose upwards at the same side as the arm to slice it off. When it tried again with the other arm, she moved her spinning scythe to the other side to slice off the other arm as well. She finished it off by swiftly decapitating its head._

 _The other Ursa was already charging in before the first one met its defeat, and it tried to chomp her head off while she was still busy with the first one. Ruby noticed its attack and quickly sidestepped to the left to dodge its bite attack, and she followed it up by swinging her scythe at its legs, cutting them off and sent the beast falling flat on the ground. She killed it by impaling its head to the ground with the tip of her scythe, and threw it across the ground away from her._

 _While she was busy dealing with those two Ursas, she realized that more Ursas were coming at her in all directions, as they attempted to collide themselves into her. Just as they were about to reach her, Ruby rapidly jumped off the ground to avoid their combined charge attacks. The beasts ended up crashing into each other, and Ruby used their heads as steps to jump higher into the air._

 _While she was in the air, Crescent Rose transitioned itself from a scythe to a pretty big sniper rifle, as Ruby shot a fast bullet at each one of the surrounding monsters, cocking her rifle with each shot. She continued to do so until she was starting to fall, in which she changed her sniper rifle back into her scythe. She spun herself vertically forward as she was falling, and just as she was about to hit the ground, with the help of one more shot from her scythe, she slammed her scythe into the ground, creating a powerful shockwave that pushed the Ursas, both dead and alive, away from her._

 _No matter how many times I've seen her fight like that, I was always in awe at how skilled and clever she was even when she was outnumber, especially when her enemies were absurdly strong. My own abilities were nothing compared to hers, which was why I still strived to match her example._

 _Seeing that Ruby was fighting extremely well on her own, I decided to go back to my own fights, as I scanned my surroundings for any enemies that crossed my gaze. I eventually found some, but I realized to my horror exactly where they were located. Four Ursas were near the Sakura Tree, and by extension, the backpack containing the jars of Sakura Sap. And from where they were gazing, it couldn't be a good sign._

" _Damn!" I quickly ran towards the four Ursas to stop them from snatching the backpack. One of them saw me coming, and with an intimidating roar, it charged straight at me. I tried to make it quick by going on the offensive, readying my sword to slash through the beast when it got near. Unfortunately, the moment I launched my attack, the monster quickly sidestepped out of the way right before it went for a horizontal claw attack. I quickly held my shield up to block its attack, and I was sent sliding a few feet back from the impact._

 _The beast already followed up its initial attack with another one, by lunging itself at me. Holding my shield up again was my only choice, as I intercepted its attack and ended up locking in a struggle against its paws. As I tried to push the black beast off of me, I moved my sights towards where the other three Ursas near the tree were and noticed that they were getting dangerously close to the backpack. It would be too late for me to stop them because I was busy dealing with one of them._

" _Ruby! The sap!" I shouted out to Ruby for help, as she had just pulled the blade of Crescent Rose out of the ground. Ruby turned her attention towards me, then turned her gaze towards the Ursas at the tree, then back at me before giving me an understanding nod. She turned her scythe into a sniper rifle again and took aim, shooting at least two of the Ursas before they could even touch the backpack. She caught the attention of the last one, as it started running at her. She prepared herself to deal with it by switching her weapon back into its scythe form._

 _Knowing that the sap is safe and sound, I focused my full attention towards my opponent, who was still pushing its paws against my shield. I slowly gathered some more strength with the intent of overwhelming my enemy to push it off of me. However, I felt that the beast was also gathering its own strength to counter mine, and I was slowly losing the power struggle. In an instant, I was shoved off by the beast and got staggered. And before I could recover, the Ursa moved in and managed to slash me with its claws._

 _I was sent flying a short distance back and I rolled across the ground before stopping on my front. I felt that my body was burning in pain, but thankfully, no serious marks was inflicted on me, due to my Aura. I tried to l get myself up, but I had very little time left before my opponent jumped and attempted to have its claws pierced into me in its descent._

 _I thought that I was done for, but luckily, I felt myself being held by someone and was carried straight to the tree in a span of less than a second. I was able to lift myself up on my hands and knees, and I looked up to see Ruby at my side who saved me from certain death. "Stay here, Jaune!" she told me before she got up and pulled out her scythe to face the Ursa who had just pulled its claws out of the ground after it failed to kill me._

 _The monster shifted its view at Ruby and proceeded to charge at her with a roar. She imitated its charge, pulling her scythe back to prepare her own attack. The two were closing in at each other, and it seemed like the Ursa would get the first strike, as it lunged in to sink its claws at her. But I knew just how she exactly fights. She managed to strike first by shooting out a bullet from the top of her scythe to gain momentum and to swiftly slice the beast in two before its claws could even reach her._

 _I finally got myself up, the pain in my body slowly fading away. Ruby turned herself towards me and ran in to join me. "Jaune, you have got to be careful! You could've been seriously hurt, you know!" Ruby said, concerned for my wellbeing._

" _Y-yeah, I know. Sorry, Ruby…" I apologized as I rubbed my right arm. "I had to act fast before anything happens to the sap." I turned my head towards the backpack containing the sap-filled jars and saw that it was left untouched._

 _Ruby followed my gaze and, with a small smile, sighed of relief. "Well, it's a good thing that I came in just in time. As long as both you and the sap are alright, that's all that matters."_

 _I turned my head back towards Ruby as I nodded in agreement, sharing the same feeling for her too. But then, just as I was about to relax for a bit, something in a distance way behind her caught my attention, as I widened my eyes in shock. "Ruby, behind you!"_

 _Ruby got alerted and quickly turned herself around, holding her scythe up in the offensive. I heard her gasping in shock, as she saw the same thing as I did. In a distance away from us, more Ursas were marching towards us. And by more, I mean MUCH more. As in, a large number of Ursas appeared in front of us. When I looked at my entire surroundings, I saw about the same number of Ursas to our right, another group to our left, and yet another group behind us._

 _And then, as we were standing right in the middle of the field with the tree, I realized that we were surrounded by a large crowd of Ursas._

 _I didn't even know that there were that many of them living in Forever Fall to begin with! I thought that facing against 20 or 30 of those things were bad enough, especially when they were strengthened by the Sakura Sap's scent, but I could never imagine myself and Ruby fighting against more than a hundred of them at once! We were extremely outnumbered!_

" _Ruby? Please tell me that you can deal with a lot of them…!" I asked, highly intimidated by the enemies' insane numbers._

" _No way…!" Ruby anxiously shook her head. "There's no way I can handle this many Grimm! If I had Yang and the others with me, we might have stood a chance…!"_

" _So… We're screwed…!" If Ruby believed that she wouldn't stand a chance against a large crowd of Ursas, then our chance at victory became very, very slim. I still held my weapons up, but my confidence was rapidly fading, as did Ruby's. We both backed ourselves away from the Ursa crowd as they slowly closed in on us one step at the time. Our backs hit the trunk of the tree, giving us no more place to go. All we had to do at that point was to survive the massive onslaught of the Ursa army._

 _I was sweating pretty hard, as I felt that our end was approaching fast. I kept looking desperately at the crowd, thinking about how we should fend them off with all of our limbs intact. In my moment of desperation, I couldn't help but notice the pink petals falling off the Sakura Tree in great number. I remembered that the chef told us that, once the sap is completely extracted from the tree, the tree itself would wither and die, as evident by its petals falling off its branches one after the other._

 _And then, an idea popped out of my mind that could potentially save our skin. "Ruby! I think I have a plan!" I yelled out to her, pointing up at the Sakura Tree's branches that were rapidly losing their petals._

 _Ruby let her gaze follow where I was pointing at, and after a short moment, she smirked and nodded, as if she understood the plan that I thought about without me actually saying it. "You got it, Jaune! Stay down for a bit!"_

 _I listened to what she said, as I crouched down and positioned myself steady, while Ruby took a few steps forward away from the tree, putting her scythe away on the back of her belt. I hoped that she knows exactly what I wanted her to do._

 _The crowd was getting closer and closer to us, threatening to rip us apart. As Ruby stood a few feet away from me and the tree, she took a deep breath before she adjusted her stance. A second had passed, and with the help of her semblance, Ruby quickly dashed from one spot to another, then did so again from there to yet another spot, then again, and again, until she was basically dashing in a square-like pattern around the tree._

 _Each time she moved quickly from one spot to the other, she gradually increased her speed to the point where she was almost a red blur throughout the entire process. And just as I hoped, her movement created a slipstream around the tree, and therefore creating a whirlwind._

 _As I attempted to keep myself steady to the ground without being taken by the miniature tornado, I looked up to see that the branches were moving radically with the vortex of the wind, shaking off all the remaining pink petals they had to have them being carried by the wind. The tornado of wind then became a tornado of pink petals._

 _I could barely see the enemies in front of me because of the pink whirlwind greatly obscuring my view. The tornado kept on going and going around the place, until Ruby suddenly jumped high off the ground within the whirlwind, unfolded Crescent Rose, shot a blast with it, quickly dived towards the ground from the recoil, and with a battle cry, slammed her scythe into the ground, creating a shockwave that dissolved the tornado and scattered the petals across the entire area, and thus producing a mist of pink petals._

 _She did exactly as I wanted her to do, as I heard the confused growls of most of the Ursas in the crowd, as their sights got obstructed by the pink petal mist and their march was hindered. I also could barely see through the scattering petals, but that didn't stop me from taking our last chance to cripple their numbers. "Alright…! Now or never!"_

 _I charged in through the pink petal mist, with Crocea Mors in hand. I slashed through the first puzzled Ursa that came across my path, then sliced another when it came clearly in my view, then again with the third one, and so on, so on. And during my barrage of sneak attacks, I heard sounds of a blade slicing through flesh from one corner of the area, knowing that Ruby was also doing her share of the work._

 _The entire process of taking down unsuspecting Ursas took a pretty long while. I lost count on how many of those monsters that I took down, as I slashed through one more of them before I felt exhausted. I took the time to stop my activity and rest on the spot. I was still concerned that, once all of the petals had fallen to the ground, there would still be too many Ursas for us to deal with. I hoped that it wouldn't be the case, especially since it was our last shot._

 _As I was taking a couple of repeated breaths, my eyes encountered yet another unsuspecting Ursa somewhere in front of me, who was constantly slashing through the air and petals with its claws in a panic state. I thought to myself that I should take down at least one more of them before everything is over._

 _So I charged in towards the panicked Ursa, as I held my sword up to strike. Once I had gotten close, I threw a horizontal slash at it, slicing it into three separate pieces… Wait, three?_

 _I had a brief moment of confusion when the Ursa was cut in three, and when its severed body fell apart, I noticed that, right behind the fallen beast, was a familiar red-cloaked girl who had just swung her scythe from the other side. Our gazes crossed each other, and I gave her a relieved smile, and she did the same too._

 _Most of the pink petals had finished falling from the air, as our views became slightly more clearer again. I looked around the area and, to my upmost surprise and relief, all of the Ursas within the area had fallen, thanks to our little desperate plan._

" _Holy crap…! I can't believe it…! We actually beat the horde!" I couldn't help but express how I felt at the moment._

" _Yeah…! Our plan really work…!" Ruby panted, sharing the same feeling as I did. As I turned my gaze back towards her to express my gratitude, Ruby suddenly started to collapse. I quickly caught her in my arm still carrying my shield, as I got worried._

" _Ruby! Are you alright?!"_

" _Y-yeah…! I'm fine, Jaune…!" Ruby reassured me, as she flashed a small, weakened smile at me. "I just overused my Semblance, that's all…"_

" _Crap…! I didn't realize that it took a lot out of you…!"_

" _Don't worry! It's not a big deal!" She tried to prove her point by getting herself off of my hold and stood on her two feet. She looked fine for a second there, but then, her legs quickly gave out, and she would have fallen to the ground if I hadn't caught her once more. "Ngh…! I-I guess it is a pretty big deal…"_

 _I frowned at myself, as I felt responsible for putting her through that much stress because of my idea. I didn't plan for her to exhaust herself to an impossible degree._

 _Ruby noticed my expression and reassured me with another of her small smile. "Jaune, don't beat yourself up over it. I'll be fine after my Aura recovers. You know that, right?"_

" _Yeah, but…" Before I could continue to blame myself for that, I heard an even stronger growl in a distance. I shifted my gaze towards the direction of the growl, as I looked on in disbelief. "Oh come on! There's more of them?!"_

" _At this rate, we wouldn't last a minute against them…" Ruby stated. "We should get out of here, while we still have a chance…"_

" _No kidding." I said, turning my gaze back towards her. Ruby tried to stand up without my help, but just like before, she stumbled and fell down on her behind. I heard her silently cursing herself for not being able to stand up properly. We wouldn't be able to get away from reinforcements if we kept going like that._

 _But then, I thought of an idea. Retracting my shield back into its sheath form and putting away my sword, I crouched down and had my back turned towards Ruby, as I made a hand gesture towards me. "Here. Climb onto my back."_

" _H-huh?! J-J-Jaune, what are you…?!"_

" _We can't take any chances. Just climb onto me, Ruby."_

" _Uh… Um… O-okay…" Ruby hesitated for a bit, before she finally decided to get on my back._

 _Carrying both her and her weapon would be a pretty hard task form, but I didn't let that get to me. I stood up from the ground with Ruby on my back, walked over to where the tree was to pick up the backpack full of jars containing the sap, and then ran towards a different direction from where the Ursas' roar came from._

 _Just before I entered through the dense forest, I stopped for a bit and turned around to see the Sakura Tree one last time… Or at least, what was left of it. Because of our actions, the Sakura Tree had lost its beautiful petals, and its colour had changed from lively brown to lifeless grey. Even through the field was still covered in pink petals, it didn't change the fact that it had lost its beauty because of us._

 _As I continued to solemnly stare at the dead tree, Ruby's voice broke the silence. "We'll be back for it, Jaune…" I turned my head to look at her, and the first thing I saw was her sincere smile, as if to reassure me that everything would be fine. "Let's come back to Forever Fall next year to see the Sakura Trees again…"_

" _Yeah…" I nodded in agreement, as I was able to smile again. "And we'll bring the rest of our team with us too."_

" _Mm-hmm!" She replied with a nod._

 _I took once last glance at what used to be the Sakura Tree, before I resumed our escape from the area, before any more Ursas show up._

 _It was near the end of daytime, and both Ruby and I got what we were looking for during the entire time that we were in Forever Fall. And what we got in return was a very wonderful scenery that would stay with us for one, whole year._

* * *

 _It had been a couple hours since we returned to Beacon after our small adventure in Forever Fall. Evening had fallen on the city of Vale as the atmosphere became peaceful._

 _And just around that time, I had just finished baking the Sakura Cookies together with Ruby, and we were walking down the hall of our dorm together with a plate of those pink, sparkling looking cookies in my hands. I can't really describe how pretty they looked like, but all I can say is that they looked as wonderful as the tree itself._

" _Hey, Ruby? Thanks for teaching me how to bake stuff." I expressed my gratitude to her while carrying the plate of the cookies, trying to be careful not to let any of them fall. After all, I believed that my whole team should enjoy the most out of them, after all the trouble that we went through._

' _Mm! No problem, Jaune!" Ruby said, as she was still munching on one of the two cookies that I gave her right before we left the kitchen. She already ate the other one just mere seconds afterwards. She really was a bit of a sweet-tooth. "Now that you know my family's knowledge of baking cookies, you can bake them anytime you want! And sooner or later, you'll become one of the most famous cookie bakers in the entire world! And people will be fawning over you like crazy!"_

" _Heh heh… Well, I don't know about that. But thanks anyway, Ruby." I chuckled at another one of those impossible scenarios from her. "And good thing we still have a jar each. That way, we can still bake our own team more of these Sakura Cookies whenever possible."_

" _Yup! Once I use my amazing skills in baking, I just know that Weiss, Blake and Yang will love them!" she said just as she was about to finish her last bite of her cookie._

 _We continued to walk through the hall in silence, as our individual rooms were just some ways away from where we were. The light of the hall were already dimmed, as a result of being near the end of the day by the school's standards. We were probably the only people to walk through the hall way at that time._

 _It was thanks to Ruby's help that we were able to make those cookies. I was sure that my team would be overjoyed by our gift to them, especially Pyrrha. After all, the entire thing happened because I wanted to make up to her for ignoring her feelings like a moron. That was my chance to finally tell her how I felt._

 _As I continued to walk through the hallway, absorbed in my thoughts, Ruby snapped me out of my bubble by calling out my name. "Jaune?"_

" _Yeah?" I turned my head to where I thought that Ruby was walking by my side. When I found that she wasn't, I continued turning my head back to see that she was standing about a couple feet away behind me. For some reason, she had her gaze down at the floor, and her hands were hiding behind her back. And she had a small, shy smile on her face._

" _Jaune… You were amazing back there…" Ruby said, as she moved her eyes up to look at me, her face still angled towards the ground. I eyed at her in confusion, wondering what I did that made her think that it was amazing. "Back then, when we were told that our search for the tree was very dangerous for us first-year student, I really was expecting to deal with the situation on my own. I thought that you wouldn't come because it got too dangerous. But you did. You wanted to come along because you were worried about me, your friend. So in a way, you were really brave back there…"_

" _I-I was…?"_

" _And that's not all… During our fight against the Ursas, I thought that there was no way for us to beat all of them in one fell swoop. But you came up with a great plan to do just that by using our surroundings to take them down when they were at a disadvantage. So, it's thanks to you that we're still here right now…"_

" _C-come on, now. You don't have to sugarcoat it for me, Ruby." I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment. Although it was nice of her to praise me, I felt like I didn't deserve it, believing that things would have gone differently if the circumstances were different._

" _But it's true!" she insisted. "You may not think of it that way, but I saw with my own eyes what you did today. Just think back at all of the things that you did today. You'll see that what I'm saying is the truth. And if you ask me…" She lifted her head up, and her shy smile became one that was full of sincerity. "… You're becoming a better huntsman each time I saw you, Jaune."_

 _What she just said resonated with me. Listening to what she said by not perceiving things in a negative light, I realized that my actions were almost comparable to that of a real huntsman. I forgo my own safety just to make sure that Ruby is safe, I fought and defeated a few Grimm without losing hope despite their advantages, I saved our lives by coming up with a great plan just in time, even though I didn't know if it would work… I really was becoming a bit of a real huntsman. Almost, really. And I wouldn't have gotten far, if it weren't for her…_

" _Well, I have you to thank for, Ruby." I said, as I turned myself around to face her. She had a dumbfounded expression on her face, tilting her head to show her curiosity at what I meant by that. "I mean, you're one of the reasons why I'm still here in Beacon. Whenever I felt like I didn't deserve to be the leader of Team JNPR, or to even be here, you're always there to support me and defend my place here in Beacon. I guess what I'm trying to say is, you became my inspiration, Ruby…"_

" _R-really?"_

" _Yeah. You're the first girl I know that got into Beacon two years in advance. You used and built an awesome weapon. You're strong enough to face against a whole bunch of Grimm. You're the one who came up with all those amazing plans and attacks for the rest of your team. You're every bit of a leader than I could ever be. That's why I want to work as hard as I can to be a better leader like you, because you always believed that me being a leader was no mistake." I could see that Ruby was blushing from all the compliments that I gave her. Couldn't really blame her, though. "And because of you, especially after what happened earlier today… I was inspired to keep reaching out for my own dream…"_

" _Your dream?" she asked._

" _Yeah. My dream… is to become a hero." I stated. She gasped in surprise, as she realized that my dream is the same as hers. "My father was a great huntsman. So was my grandfather, and his father before him. I want to uphold their legacy by becoming a huntsman myself. And as a man of Arc… No… As my own self, I aim to become a hero in everyone's eyes. A hero that our world needs…" I really sounded confident when I stated my intention and dream. But then, after recalling all the things that happened to me since I came to Beacon, I moved my eyes away from her, as I scratched my cheek awkwardly. "But, uh… My skin's been saved by a lot of people, especially you, and everyone did better than me the whole time I'm here. So I'm doing a really bad job at being a hero, aren't I?"_

"… _Nope." Ruby shook her head. "You always work so hard to catch up with everyone else here… You always care about your friends, making sure that they're safe and sound… Being a hero doesn't mean that you're obligated to be a better fighter. You know what I think?" She slowly walked closer to me, stopping only when she got to the plate of cookies still in my hands that separated us. She looked up to me with another one of her heartfelt smile. "I'm positive that you'll be a great hero someday…"_

" _You think so? Well, thanks, Ruby…" A shy smile crept onto my face._

"… _And you know what else?"_

" _What is it?" I asked. Before it could register in my head, Ruby was slowly closing in, moving up on her toes. She stared fondly into my eyes, as her soothing smile never disappeared from her face. And before I realized it, she whispered one more thing._

"… _You're already_ my _hero…"_

 _Ruby kissed me._

 _My eyes widened in shock, as I realized that she had just planted her lips on my own. The same feeling of my heart bursting like mad and my stomach having butterflies fluttering about from a few days ago came back. It was then that I came to a shocking realization…_

 _Ruby loves me…_

* * *

"… She's the first friend that I made since coming to Beacon, that's for sure. She always supported my position as leader of Team JNPR even though I felt undeserving of it. We always talked to each other as good friends and fellow leaders. But never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that she has feelings for me. I mean, Ruby is so talented at what she does as a huntress, as the leader of Team RWBY. I thought that there's no way that she would fall for a weak, dumb and clumsy guy like me who is outperformed in every step of a way. But she did fall for me, and even now, I'm still confused as to how that happened! I didn't know what I did to inadvertently make her love me! Where?! When?! How?!"

After Jaune expressed his confusion about the situation to the waiter, he stopped for a moment to think back on it. A smile then appeared on his face, as he came to an understanding. "But now… I think I know how. It might sound stupid, but… I think I also inspired her. I always try to work hard despite the odds being against me. I always prioritize my friends' safety over my own, even though I feel like a coward. Ruby inspired me to become a better warrior, a better hero. And I didn't realize that I was doing the same to her too. When I became stronger and stronger, even if it's just a little bit, I became a better example in Ruby's eyes. She called me her hero… She's the first person who ever called me that. I'm really grateful for it…"

The waiter listened to Jaune recounting his story about the young, redheaded girl, feeling the passion and gratitude that the blond knight had expressed about her. "I can understand how she became your inspiration of becoming a better huntsman, good sir. I am also surprised that she considers you as her inspiration as well. And I think I know why."

"What do you have on your mind?" Jaune asked.

"Despite already proving herself to be a talented girl, and as you said, deserving of her position as leader of her team, she might have already realized that she's still a young girl who is still learning how to be a warrior. Having talent doesn't mean that you're set for life. Each individual person has their own capabilities and limits, and she is no exception. You are still striving to achieve your own goals regardless of your weaknesses, and maybe that is why you're her inspiration, and as a result, she fell for you."

"Yeah… Maybe you're right about that." The blond boy nodded as he understood what the waiter was trying to comprehend. "And now that I think about it… I think I already have feelings for her way back then. She's cute, funny, amazing… I don't know when I noticed it, but what I do know, at the very least, is that I want to follow her example because she's that awesome. Not only was I inspired by her, but I might have also fallen in love with her…

The waiter smiled in content, as he witnessed the blue-eyed boy discovering his love for the person who inspired him to strive for his goals. However, he dropped his smile when he remembered that it was there that the issue produced itself. "… Did you realize the situation that you were in afterwards?"

"… Yeah." Jaune replied, as he frowned. "After Ruby left me alone, I snapped out from my daze and remembered why I went through all this trouble in the first place. I remembered Pyrrha. I realized that I was caught in a love triangle between Pyrrha and Ruby, and I have to make a decision. Who did I love the most? Pyrrha, who helped and trained me to become a better fighter and a better leader that I was chosen to be, or Ruby, who inspired me to keep going with my leadership status and to never give up on my goals? I just didn't know who to choose…"

Jaune set his elbows down on the table, as he grasped his head with both hands and looked down on the flat, steel surface. The waiter could sense the blond knight's inner turmoil. "Both of them love me because I was being myself. I gave Pyrrha hope by being her friend and not getting bothered by her status as one of the strongest warriors the world has to offer. I inspired Ruby to improve her skills just as I did and to not let any obstacles get her down. It was so painful to choose, so much that I wanted to keep myself away from the issue for a while. And then…" Jaune sighed, as he reached the next part of his problem. "… And then, it got worse."

"… The third girl, I imagine." The waiter replied.

"Yeah. Honestly… It just came out of the blue. She was my first crush since coming here to Beacon, and she already showed me that she was never going to be interested in me no matter what. She was… Well, pretty cold about it. After a bit of time, I got over my crush, especially after I learned that both Pyrrha and Ruby love me. But then, I found out that she was finally interested in me because of I don't exactly know what I did. And there I was, encountering the third part of my dilemma…"

"So this girl who was initially disinterested in you… Just who might she be?"

Just like last time, Jaune closed his eyes as he thought about the third girl in his dilemma, and the event that made him realize that she was finally interested in him. What came first in his mind was an image of an elegant and beautiful snow angel, followed by an image of a bold and formal ice queen. With long, white hair that was tied into a ponytail and that reminded him of the gentle and bright winter, and a pair of blue eyes that reminded him of the confident flame that burns even during the time of cold, that particular person had been very assertive on her belittling of his feelings for her. Her eyes finally opened up to him when she discovered his unique traits that outshine all others.

Jaune reopened his eyes to the waiter, and a single name was spoken out of his lips.

"… Weiss Schnee."

 **End of Prologue 2**

 **And there you guys have it! We have reached the end of the second part of the prologue! Next up is the third and last part that focuses mainly on Weiss! I know that it's been a long read, but don't worry. I don't think the next part will be as long as this part. The reason why this part of the prologue is this long is because I love Lancaster, as you can already see.**

 **Now, fun facts about the chapter. I initially planned for the fight scene to be longer than what we have here, and it would involve three Ursa Majors for both Jaune and Ruby to fight against. But I decided to scrap it and shorten the fight scene, since this chapter is already longer than necessary. If you guys want to see the extended version of the fight, just say the word. I'll try and see if I can't put it as a bonus at some point.**

 **And another fun fact. At the beginning of the second part of the prologue, I wrote that Jaune had no experience in cooking or baking despite having seven sisters. I wrote it that way just so we could get to the scenario between him and Ruby. But I admit, in respect of the actual series, it wouldn't make sense for Jaune not to learn how to cook or bake. He knows how to dance because of his seven sisters, so it shouldn't be that unbelievable that he would know how to cook too. So don't worry, I'm fully aware of the inconsistencies, so I apologize.**

 **Anyways, I hope that you enjoyed reading the second part of the prologue! If there are some concerns, I'll try and make the necessary edits to it. Until then, see you all later! And reviews are always appreciated, thank you!**


	3. Prologue 3

**Hey, everyone! It's me, Anomynous Nin! Sorry for making you guys wait so long for the next chapter, but I'm finally here to present you the third prologue of the story focusing on Weiss! And, uh... Remember when I said that this prologue won't be as long as the previous one? Well... It turned out to be even LONGER than the previous one. About 4000 words more, in fact. Then again, the previous prologue was originally intended to be as long as this, so there's not much to say about it. So, uh... You guys have quite the read ahead of you, so I'm really sorry for making an even bigger chapter than expected!**

 **But before I let you read, there's something that I want to say about it. I... am not exactly proud at how this part of the prologue went, especially during one of the fights presented here and near the end of the chapter. For the latter part, I won't exactly tell you what it is, but I've put up an Author's Note just to give you a heads up. Though, it might just be me who thinks that way about it, but I just want to warn you guys just in case. I'll make the necessary edits if some parts turn out to be shitty.**

 **And also, this is a very difficult chapter for me to write because it took me around 20 days to get this one done. I'm really ashamed to admit it, since this chapter is entirely focused on Jaune/Weiss, and it's for fans of this pairing. So I'm really, really sorry if this prologue isn't as well done as the Lancaster one! I'll try and fix it when possible! And I'll try and make it up to you later down the road!**

 **Okay, now that I have said my worries, it's time to start the third prologue!**

"Speaking"

' _Thoughts'_

 _Flashback_

Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by the late Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth

 **Prologue 3:**

 **Prelude to Heartache: Weiss**

 _Weiss Schnee… The first time that I lay my eyes on her, I knew that I fell for her pretty hard. How could I not be? I always thought of her as the most beautiful lady that I have ever seen in my whole life, as a pure angel whose magnificent beauty is defined by the serene winter snow, hence why I like to call her Snow Angel. She, on the other hand, didn't think the same way about me, since she defined me as tall, blond and scraggly, with an added emphasis on the last one._

 _There's just so many things that I wanna say about her… She's cold, one thing's for sure, but she's also incredible. She's really smart, since she's always at the top of our class in every single subject that I could think of. She's graceful, which is obviously shown in her looks and even in her fighting style. She's also talented, since not only is she amazing at fighting and being knowledgeable, she also sings like an angel. Gosh, if you ever hear her sing, you'll know what I'm talking about. She's the heiress to the Schnee Company, which is the reason why people are attracted to her, but it never crossed my mind. To me, Weiss is a perfect example of a spectacular angel who is amazing at everything she does._

 _And that served to hammer in the fact that I could never be someone worth her while._

 _Because she considered me as a clumsy idiot, someone who doesn't have any incredible talents to show or the capacity to think like a real genius, she always rejected me at any given opportunity. She always took my compliments in snide, she never treated me like a fellow huntsman, she… Well, in short, she's pretty cold towards me. After a bit of time, I finally understood that, no matter what, she would never notice me because I'm an idiot._

 _But even so, that doesn't make her a terrible person. No, far from it. Weiss cares about her friends, especially Ruby, hence why, according to her, Weiss is the best partner to have around. She isn't above making pretty bad puns to lighten the mood if she needs to. She is also shown to have a sweet spot for cute animals and cool guys, proving that she isn't always that cold. Weiss is beautiful, but she is very sweet and kind as well. It's just that she had no interest in taking me seriously, whether if it's in love or anything else._

 _I accepted the fact that she would never notice a guy like me, and therefore, I stopped crushing on her. Truth be told, my crush on her was the sole obstacle that prevented me from making notable progress in becoming a better fighter and leader. It wasn't my intended goal, but if I became stronger and smarter throughout my time here in Beacon, maybe Weiss would finally recognize me as a fellow huntsman._

 _That moment came earlier than I expected. Weiss finally noticed me because of whatever I did that was completely unrelated to me being stronger or smarter. To my shock, it had already gotten to the point where she actually fell for me instead…_

 _It was a few days after my little quest to find the Sakura Tree with Ruby, and after Ruby confessed her love to me. Ever since then, I was in an inner conflict with myself, to decide which girl should I choose, which one did I love the most. Pyrrha or Ruby? My mind had been entirely fixated on that one issue so much that it was affecting my performance in school. I already got chewed out by several teachers because of it, especially Professor Glynda Goodwitch. She's really scary when she's mad…_

 _It was painful to decide who to choose, so I decided to push the problem aside just so I could focus more on school work. I thought that if I spend time doing something else, maybe sooner or later, I would be able to make a decision. It was especially good for me, as I was able to concentrate just in time for Combat Class._

 _That particular class takes place in the amphitheatre. a pretty big, glass-domed room that not only serves as a fighting area, but also serves as a place for public announcements and to select missions from. I was sitting on one seat from the audience benches located at the border of the fighting stage, along with my team, Team RWBY, and the rest of the students from our class, including those from the other Kingdoms. Professor Goodwitch was our teacher for the Combat Class, as it was her duty to make sure that each and every one of us is skillful enough to qualify for the Vytal Tournament that is coming in about a month or so from now._

 _I was able to watch most of the matches between fellow classmates for the majority of the class session, looking in awe at how good and tactical some of them were in their battles. I was hoping that I would stay seated, opting to watch the fights instead of partaking one myself, since, let's face it, I don't think I would last a minute against any of them._

 _As the class session was almost coming to a close, the final match was between Weiss and Cardin Winchester. I guess I don't have any choice but to talk about the latter for a bit. Cardin Winchester… is a jerk. Like, a HUGE jerk. I painfully remember that he had been nothing but a big bully to me during last semester. Why is he such a big jerk? I don't even know. He just is. But I can't really complain too much about him, since he decided to back off from me after that one incident in Forever Fall from the same semester. Since then, he was acting pretty cautious around me. Although I was glad that he doesn't bully me anymore, he's still a big jerk to everyone else._

 _And it was very satisfying to see that Weiss was wiping the floor with him pretty damn hard._

 _I continued to watch the match as Cardin was pushed back a couple of feet away from Weiss after their latest clash. He managed to stop himself from backing away any further, as he threw an irritated glare at her. Weiss responded with a smug smile, as she still remained in her fighting stance and held her rapier, Myrtenaster, in front of her, waiting for him to make the next move._

" _Grr…! Hold still, you little…!" he growled, as he charged in towards her, raising his mace above his head in an attempt to slam it down on her._

 _Weiss still maintained her stance until the moment Cardin slammed his mace at her, in which she dodged the attack by simply sidestepping. He followed up the attack with another one, swinging his weapon horizontally at her, in which she dodged it again by stepping back. He continued to throw a series of swings at her, all of which she dodged by stepping back each time, tilting her body when necessary._

 _When Cardin tried to make a diagonal swing at her, this time, Weiss stepped in and parried his attack, and she immediately followed it with a horizontal slash, which struck him._

 _He took a step back before moving in already with a thrust of his free fist. She quickly evaded it by moving under his fist, just before she took another step and hit him with her shoulder on the same side as her hand holding her weapon, hit his chest with the bottom of the hilt, then finishing it off by pulling her rapier back, the blade pointing at him, and thrusting it against him._

 _Cardin was sent sliding back as a result. He recovered from the attack, clutched the part of his body that was struck by the rapier, and gritted his teeth furiously. He moved in towards her once more, and along the way, he started to rotate himself and his mace around in an attempt to hit her. Weiss jumped back before he could reach her, and in response to that, Cardin stopped his spin and lunged forward, trying to slam his weapon down at her again._

 _Like always, she dodged the attack by cartwheeling to the side before thrusting her rapier at him. He managed to lean his body forward to avoid the attack and pushed the rapier out of the way with his free arm, before he tried to grab her with the same hand. She avoided it by doing a backward somersault and kicking his arm up while doing so._

 _Cardin tried to charge in by ramming his shoulder at her while she was open, only for her to step in, rotate herself around him, and did a slash at his back. He stumbled forward from her attack, but he recovered and retaliated by swinging his mace horizontally at her. Weiss simply took a step back away from the attack, and he quickly moved in to deliver a barrage of swings of his mace._

 _Just like before, when Cardin swung his mace at her at the end of the barrage, Weiss parried the attack off, pushing the mace up away from her. Cardin had to step back a little before he quickly retaliated by swinging his mace downward. Before he could have the chance to do so, she tripped him by spinning and sweeping the back of of her leg at his own legs. As he started to fall, she quickly got back into her stance and swung her sword upwards, launching him and spinning him high off the ground. When Cardin was about to reach the ground in his descent, Weiss slid in and thrusted Myrtenaster at him, shoving him back a few feet._

 _Cardin stopped himself from moving further back by pressing both his palms and his knees into the floor. He lifted his head up to glare at Weiss, with his teeth clenched in anger. The same smug smile that she had a while ago was still shown on her face, as she looked at him condescendingly._

 _He slammed his fist against the floor in anger, as he stood back up from the ground. "You piece of…! Why can't you just be a little nice missy and let me crush you already!?"_

" _And let a savage brute such as you have the satisfaction of touching me?" she snarked, brushing her bangs with her free hand in an act of superiority. "Not even in your wildest dreams, Winchester."_

" _Why, you little…!" Cardin was fuming like mad from Weiss' comments. It was pretty satisfying to see him getting belittled by her after all the trouble that he caused me. I think it was pretty clear that Weiss had that match in the bag. Not that Cardin would ever acknowledge it._

 _He channeled his anger into his next attack, as he slammed his mace against the ground, discharging a surge of explosive blasts from the fire Dust crystal in his weapon. As the series of explosions were going in Weiss' way, she rolled out of the way of the attack. Cardin seemed to perceive her dodge, as he slammed his mace again to create the same attack directing towards her again. Just like last time, she dodged the attack by rolling out of the way._

 _Once Weiss got up on her feet, a glyph about the same size as her suddenly appeared in front of her. That was her Semblance. With a swing of her rapier at the glyph, a huge icicle was shot out of the glyph, heading straight towards Cardin. He reacted by swinging his mace at the icicle, shattering it into pieces. Weiss already made her next move by sliding towards him, her weapon thrusted in his way. Cardin seemed to notice her attack, as he moved out of the way of it, causing her to slide through at nothing._

 _He turned to face her while she had her back on him, grabbed one of the big, falling shards of ice from the icicle that he just smashed, and threw it at her. Weiss quickly turned around just in time to see him throwing the ice shard and positioned Myrtenaster in front of her, deflecting the thrown projectile by creating a small barrier in front of her. Cardin continued to grab and throw any big shard that he could find in hopes of actually hitting her with it. Just like before, she deflected anything he threw at her using the same method, taking a step closer each time it happened._

 _Once she got very close to him, Cardin stopped his throwing strategy and opted to swing his mace at her again. The result was the same, as Weiss easily parried the attack off, forcing him to stumble back for a bit. When he recovered, Cardin lunged in to slam his mace at her for the umpteenth time. Before he could reach her, Weiss created a glyph right under her and jumped very high off the ground, causing Cardin to slam into the empty ground and discharging an explosive blast._

 _He let his gaze follow her on the way there and found her crouching upside down above him, with yet another glyph appearing above her feet. Weiss then propelled herself downwards from the glyph, as she looked to be preparing a horizontal slash. Cardin already prepared himself to intercept her attack by swinging his mace just as she was getting close._

 _Just as he was about to swing his weapon, Weiss made another glyph right next to her during her dive and pressed her feet against it to propel herself to the side in midair, prompting Cardin's attack to miss her completely. During her air dash, another glyph was produced in her direction, as she placed her feet on it and pushed herself diagonally downwards towards him, extending her leg forward to kick through his legs and trip him off the ground._

 _Cardin was falling forward from Weiss' dive kick, but he quickly recovered, turned himself towards her just as she was finished sliding from her descent, and charged right at her with his mace raised above his head. Weiss quickly turned around and moved in to parry his blow yet again, but this time, she did something different._

 _As she parried another one of Cardin's aggressive swings of his mace, she actually encased both the mace and most of his arm in ice before jumping back away from him. Cardin looked like he was caught off-guard by her unique parrying method, as he stared at his weapon and arm covered in ice. Shock turned into rage, as he gritted his teeth and slammed his mace and arm into the ground in a rage-fuelled roar, breaking most of the ice off of them._

 _He looked up at Wess and it seemed like his anger multiplied somewhat at that instance. I could probably tell why, since the same smug smile was still present on Weiss' facial expression during the whole thing._

 _I'll never get tired of watching Cardin getting the taste of his own medicine even once in my whole time here in the academy. Heck, not even in my whole life. It was so satisfying to see each of my friends and teammates giving him and the rest of Team CRDL a beating after all the trouble that they caused since coming here to Beacon. I'd like to give them a beating too, but, uh… I'm still not confident about my own skills at that point._

" _Yeah, Weiss! Go for it! Show that big bully what you're made of!" The person who was cheering for Weiss was Ruby, who was sitting on one of the benches just raised above where I was sitting from._

" _You go, girl! Give him everything you got and pummel his ass to the ground!" That was Yang, Ruby's sister who was just sitting right next to her, as she threw her fist into her open palm to show just how much she wanted Weiss to beat him. And of course, the person sitting next to her was her partner, Blake, who was just calmly sitting on the bench, observing the fight, while waving a small flag with the name 'RWBY' labelled on it… Uh, for some reason._

" _Woohoo! Do it, Ice Queen! Take him down and break his legs!" And of course, that was Nora, sitting on the same bench as the rest of Team JNPR, with Ren sitting next to her and with Pyrrha at my side. Ren had to keep her down to prevent her from jumping into the stage and cheering Weiss on at a dangerously close range of the fight. Nora really has the habit of threatening to break people's legs without meaning to… For the most part._

 _Hearing their cheers, Cardin threw a death glare in our way, still fuming mad at all the humiliation that Weiss gave him. "Well, then," He turned his attention back towards her when she started to speak to him while moving a finger along one edge of the blade, her gaze looking over her weapon as if the sight of him wasn't important to her in the least. "If you have any brain cells left in that arrogant, little head of yours, you would have realized long ago that your relentless strikes have no effect on me whatsoever."_

" _I dare you to say that again, bitch! I'll smash your pretty, little head into smithereens if you keep this up!" he growled at her._

" _Oooh, how daunting!" She feigned being scared, while stifling a laugh under her breath as she wasn't affected by his threats. She turned her gaze towards the holographic screen showing each fighter's respective Aura gauge, and I followed her gaze._

 _I saw that Cardin's Aura was already more than halfway depleted throughout the fight, while Weiss' was still green with barely any depletion. If Cardin still didn't realize that he was severely outmatched in terms of skills, then he was a lost cause and only his defeat at Weiss' hand would snap him out of it._

" _I think I played around with you long enough." Weiss said, as she set her sights back at Cardin, moving Myrtenaster up in front of her face, as the chamber of the rapier started to cycle around. "What do you say we put an end to this farce here and now?"_

" _It would've ended a long time ago, if you'd just stay still!" Cardin yelled as he charged towards her in an attempt to strike at her._

 _Myrtenaster's chamber stopped cycling, as Weiss turned it over and stabbed the ground with it, creating a large wall of ice on the ground that was heading in his way. Cardin's reaction was to slam his mace into the ground during his charge, creating a surge of explosive blasts that burned through the ice wall and melting it down instantly. He continued his charge through the explosion, only to stop when he noticed that Weiss vanished from her spot. He furiously looked around him to try and find her wherever she was._

 _He was able to find her kneeling just a few feet away from him at a different spot, and it was then that I noticed what Weiss was doing. She had her rapier stabbed into the ground again and already had a glyph appeared beneath her, but this time, the glyph took on a different appearance. It looked like a huge clock whose arms were speeding through the cycle than normally so._

 _Cardin wasted no time to charge in and leap forward to slam his mace at her yet again. Unlike all the other times where she simply dodged his attacks, Weiss actually vanished from sight and reappeared far away from him, as Cardin ended up slamming his weapon into the ground, creating another explosive blast from his fire Dust._

 _Before he had a chance to make his next move or to intercept Weiss' next attack, she already rushed in and thrusted her rapier through him in a flash. He stumbled back for a bit, only for Weiss to perform the same attack from a different direction. Then again from yet another different direction. And again from another completely different direction, until basically, she was sliding through from all directions. He was definitely at her mercy._

 _After her latest thrust attack, she stopped right behind his back. He was clearly dazed from the attack, as his body was swaying around in a stupor. As he slowly turned towards her, barely lifting his mace up, Weiss already moved in with a final attack by repeatedly stabbing into him in a lightning paced motion. The barrage of stab attacks were so quick that it actually lifted him off the ground just a bit. The attack went on for a while until she made one last powerful thrust against him, sending him flying back across the stage._

 _Cardin then crashed into the ground and his body ended up rolling to a stop on his front. His defeated moan could be heard across the entire amphitheatre. Meanwhile, Weiss was brandishing Myrtenaster in satisfaction, smirking in victory as she brushed her bangs. The battle had been decided._

" _Alright, that is enough." A woman's voice was heard in the amphitheatre. The class looked on as our teacher, Professor Goodwitch, walked into the stage in-between the victor and her downed opponent. "The match has been decided, and the winner is Miss Weiss Schnee!" the Professor announced._

 _The announcement was met with a huge cheer from the loudest people of our class, including Ruby, Yang and Nora. I decided to take the polite route and was clapping to Weiss' victory, along with everyone else in the class. Even if Cardin's humiliating defeat was taken out of the equation, I could definitely feel that Weiss deserved that win. Her fighting style was very elegant, nice and swift, and she had little to no dirt on her through the whole battle if the situation didn't call for it. Just everything about how she fights was amazing._

 _As soon as the cheering slowed to a stop, Professor Goodwitch turned her gaze towards Weiss, giving her a satisfying smile. "I am very impressed, Miss Schnee. Your fighting prowess has definitely shined throughout the match. You were quick to discern your opponent's weakness, took advantage of it, and used effective means to bring about his defeat. You were able to recognize your victory as soon as it had become apparent. Not to mention, your sword skills, the creative use of your Dust and Semblance are truly a sight to behold."_

" _Hmph! It's only natural that my victory is all but certain." Weiss said, smiling at the Professor's praise. "After all, I have been improving my skills constantly in preparation for the Vytal Tournament."_

" _Yes, of course. I am very confident that you will be able to qualify easily for the tournament. Do not hesitate to improve your abilities even further." The Professor gave an approving nod at Weiss. Then, she turned her gaze towards Cardin, as she had a disappointed look on her face. "Mister Winchester. You, on the other hand, have shown a very poor performance thus far. Your sole tactic was to simply overwhelm your opponent with your brute strength, never realizing that the weak point of such tactic was apparent since the beginning. To win a battle, one must put effort not only in their raw power, but in their intellectual power as well. Your over-reliance on your strength has only made you susceptible to your opponent's adaptable strategy."_

 _Cardin, after he managed to lift himself off the ground on his hands and knees, looked up at the Professor with a grunt as a response. So she continued on with her critic of him. "It is almost embarrassing to see that your skills since the very beginning have not improved halfway through this semester. I suggest that you learn from this battle and think of other effective strategies. Otherwise, you will not pass your qualification for the tournament."_

"… _Yes, Professor." Cardin nodded, as he slowly stood up from the ground, his body not looking like it recovered from the recent attacks._

" _Good." She returned his nod with her own, as she made a gesture with her riding crop. "You may now go and rejoin your classmates up there."_

 _He gave her another understanding nod. He then shot a really furious glare at Weiss who replied by flashing another victorious smirk at him. Cardin growled under his breath before he went and left the stage for the remainder of the session._

 _Professor Goodwitch then shifted her look at the entire class, as she made an announcement to all of us. "The match between Miss Weiss Schnee and Mister Cardin Winchester has been concluded. Although the class is near its end, I believe that there is still enough time for one final match." She turned her gaze again towards Weiss, as she gave her a satisfying smile. "Miss Schnee, since you have performed splendidly during the last match, perhaps you do not mind partaking in another one, if you so choose?"_

 _Weiss bowed her head at the Professor's suggestion. "It will be my honour to fight another battle, Professor."_

" _Very well, then." The Professor nodded at Weiss' willingness to participate before turning her gaze back at us. "In that case, I shall choose which one among the class who will be given the privilege of fighting Miss Schnee in this final match."_

 _Her eyes began to scan around the whole class sitting on the benches, searching for one of us suitable to fight against Weiss to end the class. There I was, sitting anxiously at my spot, as I watched the Professor looking over at us like a spotlight. I really thought that the last match would be the last one for the session, but I guess she thought otherwise, which sucked since I wanted to stay out of it for the day. I reassured myself that she would pick a skilled student among us who would battle Weiss at a relatively equal level. I mean, there was no way that I would stand a chance against her! I would be turned into a popsicle in under a minute! As if I would be chosen to fight someone as talented as her!_

… _Unfortunately, fate was a cruel mistress to me. My gaze and that of the Professor eventually crossed each other. Just when I thought that it was just a simple inattentive gaze from her, I saw that a sly smile had formed on her face. I then feared the worst._

" _Mister Arc?" She called out my name. I immediately became tensed, then I looked around me to see if she was referring to someone else, maybe another Arc other than me. A brief silence followed afterwards and no one else seemed to be responding._

 _I had to look back at her and nervously pointed at myself. "M-me?"_

" _Yes, Mister Arc, I am referring to you. Why, do you think that there is another Arc among us here?" she asked sarcastically. Of course there wasn't. My only answer was to sit still, not moving an inch, which prompted her to continue. "Anyway, you should be grateful. I have chosen you to be Miss Schnee's final opponent of this session."_

 _Yep, hope had abandoned me. I slumped into my seat, as I let out a sigh of despair. Fighting against someone as skillful as Weiss was the one thing that I was hoping to avoid during the whole class session, and I was then being put on the spot at the last minute. I didn't know why the Professor bothered to pick me as the final opponent, if I get destroyed anyway?_

 _Apparently, I wasn't the only one who thought about that. "What?!" Weiss exclaimed, looking at the Professor in disbelief. "Professor, with all due respects, but you cannot be serious about picking him as my opponent! I mean, are we talking about the same Arc?! The same person whose performance is comparable to that of a mindless slug?! You know that my skills are vastly superior compared to his so much that fighting him would be a complete joke!" Ouch. That was some pretty harsh words, Ice Queen._

" _True. There is obviously a large gap in skills between you and Mister Arc." the Professor replied, acknowledging the fact that Weiss would beat me with no effort whatsoever. "However, as the teacher of Combat Class, it is my duty to ensure that each and every single student in class has shown the capacity necessary to qualify for the Vytal Tournament. Mister Arc is no exception to this. Although the result will be quite obvious, it will serve as a reminder for him that he is placed in very much the same standard as everyone else here, whether his skills are poor or otherwise. I am certain that you do not mind being the one to give him such reminder, correct?"_

 _Weiss still looked like she didn't like the idea of fighting me in the first place, but she relented on the Professor's decision, as evident by her bowing her head as a reply. Me, on the other hand, I still didn't feel like getting beaten in class at the moment. The entire class all knew that, whether it was with Weiss or anyone else, it would all lead to the same conclusion._

 _So I decided to make up a half-assed excuse to slither my way out of there. "Uh, um… A-actually, I can't fight today, Professor Goodwitch, because I, uh… I, um…" I faked a cough to try and convince the teacher and everyone else in class. "I-I actually feel really sick…! My body isn't feeling too well, a-and I think that it'll get worse if I fight at all today…! And also…" I then held onto one of my knees to fake an injury. "M-my leg is pretty badly injured from my last mission…! I won't fight at full strength, at this rate…! So can you please choose someone else instead of poor, little, old-"_

" _Mister Arc." The Professor said my name in a commanding tone, as she gazed at me with a glare that could pierce a thousand Suns. It was pretty clear that she wasn't having any of my half-assed excuses, and it would be meaningless to keep on going._

 _And so, I yielded to her command, as I sighed in defeat. "Yes, Professor…" I thought that I would be safe for the entire session. But sadly, circumstances had forced me to come on down to fight, even if it meant getting pummelled to the ground._

 _Just when I was feeling hopelessly defeated, I felt a soft and soothing hand being placed over my own. I looked at it and realized that the hand belonged to Pyrrha, as I moved my gaze up to look at her. She was giving me a reassuring smile with a very soft and sincere look in her eyes. "Jaune, there is no need for you to worry about this. This is the whole point of your training, remember? I'm sure that you can pull through this. I know it because I'm here to see how much you've progressed…"_

 _Just hearing her believing that I could handle a battle such as that made me feel more relaxed about it. And then, Nora joined in to offer the same effect, saying, "She's right, you know! We're a team! We all know just how strong you got, oh amazing leader!" Ren nodded in agreement to both statements from Pyrrha and Nora._

 _Seeing my whole team believing that I could do it, my spirit felt more calmer than ever. I let out a relieved sigh as I gave my team a confident smile. "Yeah… You're right. I shouldn't be scared of being beaten to a pulp, not after all I've been through. Thanks for helping me realize it, you guys." I thanked them, and they gave me a nod as a reply._

 _My anxiety had mostly gone away, as I felt that I could take Weiss on, regardless of what the outcome would be. I stood up from my spot and started to climb down the benches. As I was climbing down, I heard a familiar voice cheering me on. "You can do it, Jaune!" I turned my head around and saw that Ruby was standing up from her seat, as she had both of her fists pumped for me, smiling with a small, but noticeable blush on her face. "I know you can! Trust me on this!"_

 _My spirit got even more calmer after hearing Ruby's cheer. I gave her the same confident smile as with my team and waved my hand at her. I then resumed to climb down, as I prepared myself for my upcoming battle with Weiss._

 _A while had passed, and after a bit of preparation in the waiting room, I finally entered the stage of the amphitheatre, armed with my trusty sword, Crocea Mors, in hand, as well as my fully extended shield on the other. I walked towards Weiss, who had been waiting for me with one hand on her hip and her foot tapping on the ground impatiently. I stopped walking forward as soon as there was a close enough distance between the both of us._

 _I stared at her and noted that she seemed to have an annoyed expression on her face, obviously because she was facing me. She also had an icy glare that threatened to freeze me on the spot, just for the sake of taking me down as fast as possible. I already knew that she wanted to get rid of me before I became a waste of time and effort to her._

 _To relieve the bitterness between us, I gave her a smile and a wave with my shield arm. "Uh… H-hey, Weiss! Uh, what a surprise that we get to fight each other like this! So, uh… How are you?"_

"… _Arc. I am going to make one thing clear for the both of us." Weiss said, her tone matching her expression. "Out of all the people that I have known in all of Remnant, you are the very last person that I expect to fight against." Ouch. I felt my spirit being pierced by her harsh comment. "I have never known anyone else who is as weak and moronic as you are." And there it was again. "It is clear that you are but a sorry excuse of a huntsman that the world has ever seen." And again. "To defeat you in an instant would just be an understatement, especially since your abilities are vastly inferior to mine by a very large margin."_

" _Okay, okay, you made your point! No need to rub it all in! Look, can we just get this over with already?"_

" _Hmph. Luckily for you, I'm in a very good mood right now." she said as she gave me a conceited smile. "Tell you what. Just this once, I will fight you using solely my swordsmanship. I will neither use my Dust nor my Semblance in our fight. Consider this an act of mercy from a fighter as esteemed as I, Arc."_

" _Oh! Uh… Thanks! I guess…" I was a bit surprise that Weiss decided to fight me purely in sword skills, considering she looked like she wanted to end it as quick as possible. Then again, it was still the case, since I felt that nothing would change from her restraint. And I think she knew that too._

" _Fighters, you may now take up your stances." I heard the Professor instructing us from the far corner of the stage. I listened to what she said, as I got into my fighting stance, while Weiss did the same. We both stared at each other. waiting for the Professor to announce the beginning of the fight. I still felt a little bit anxious fighting against Weiss, but not as much as it would prevent me from giving my all. And from the look that Weiss was giving me, it was pretty obvious that she could care less about our fight. "You may begin!"_

 _As soon as the match started, Weiss was already sliding in with a thrust of her rapier. I barely dodged the attack by tilting my body to the side. She stopped right in front of me, as she followed up her initial attack with a sideways slash. I blocked her next attack with my shield, taking a step back away from her in the process. She replied by taking a step forward and unleashing a fury of slash attacks at me, all of which I barely dodged or blocked while trying_

 _When it looked like she was moving forward for another thrust attack, I held my shield up in an attempt to block it. However, instead of going through with the attack, she rotated herself around me before standing at my back. I realized what she was trying to do and I rolled forward, barely avoiding her slash from the rear. And just when I was about to stand up after my dodge roll, I realized too late that Weiss was already rushing in with yet another thrust attack, and I took the hit as the result._

 _Her latest attack threw me off-balance. I recovered and retained my fighting stance, as I set my eyes back on her. I could see that she was smiling with superiority over me. As if to humour me, she made a motion with Myrtenaster, signalling me to make the next move. I decided to take up on her offer and charged forward, with my sword ready to slash downwards at her._

 _She dodged my downward slash by simply sidestepping out of the way. I then moved in to deliver a series of slash attacks at her, all of which were dodged with barely any effort from her. When I tried throwing another downward slash at her, she went in and parried it, sending me stumbling back. When I saw that she was moving in, I quickly got my shield up despite still not regaining my balance, and I felt a pretty powerful kick against my shield, which knocked me down to the ground._

 _As I suddenly fell down on my rear and was trying to recover, I had my shield down just a little bit only to notice that Weiss was leaping in, spinning herself and her rapier around with her body positioned horizontally in midair. I quickly rolled out of the way before she could strike me with her blade, and I rapidly got up on my feet, as I turned to face her again._

 _For what might be the third time in the match, she rushed in once more with yet another of her thrust attack. I moved my shield high up in front of me in hopes that I could block her strong attack. Unfortunately, I foolishly exposed my lower body to any and all dangers. I realized it when Weiss stabbed into one of my legs, forcing me to kneel down and lower my shield, giving her the right opportunity to slash upwards at me._

 _I was then sent flying back and crashed onto my back. I groaned in pain, as I clutched the part of my body that got inflicted by her latest slash. Despite the pain, I managed to get myself back up and resumed my fighting stance. When I took another look at her, the same superior smile was still imprinted on her face. And just like last time, she made a motion with Myrtenaster, giving me the same signal as before. At that point, I felt that she was toying with me._

 _Even so, I decided to go along with it and charged forward. I tried to pretend that I was going for another slash from my sword, when really, I was resorting to bash my shield into her in my charge. Unfortunately, it didn't work, since she easily sidestepped out of the way, and on top of that, she tripped me by sweeping her leg at my own legs while I was still charging, causing me to fall forward. Once my body met the ground, my first instinct was to roll away from her as soon as possible, barely avoiding her downward stab._

 _I quickly got back up on the ground and faced her again. I then noticed that she was closing in on me, gradually stepping forward as she rotated the blade in a circular motion in front of her, clearly trying to catch me off-guard. My eyes followed the rotating blade, as I tried to spot an opening to strike. As she got closer and closer, I ended up having to thrust my sword straight in the middle of the rotating blade. She must have predicted it, as in the middle of her blade rotation, she moved her rapier against my sword and forced them to the side, keeping them still._

 _I struggled to get my sword free from her rapier's hold, pushing against it as hard as I possibly could. I think she predicted that as well, since she turned her blade around my sword and used my own strength against me to disarm me of Crocea Mors, sending it flying until it plunged itself into the ground a short distance away from us._

 _When I realized that I was left with nothing but my shield to fend off her attacks, I tried my best to block and dodge her successive slashes and stabs while keeping my distance from her. I was doing pretty well, for the most part, until she quickly moved behind me and bashed the bottom of Myrtenaster's hilt against my back. As I was staggering forward, I tried to turn and swing my shield at her as my only offensive tactic, only for her to evade it by leaning back before she threw two diagonal slashes in a cross pattern and finishing it off with a thrust attack._

 _It was the second time that I was sent flying back and fell down hard on my back. I turned over as I groaned, gripping onto the region of my body that received the subsequent attacks. As I struggle to get myself back up, I noticed that I actually fell right next to my sword, still plunged into the ground, and I then grabbed hold of it to help me get back up. Once I was back on my feet, I pulled Crocea Mors out and returned to my stance, although my legs felt wobbly. "Ngh…! Damn, that smarts…!"_

" _What's the matter, Arc?" Weiss asked in a mocking tone, as she lightly brandished her rapier around, still smirking down on me. "You're struggling to keep up with me even though I am only using my skills with the blade in our battle. Is it because it's still too much for you to handle? How laughable!"_

 _I knew that she was just saying that to discourage me, but I also knew that she was right. The difference in our power was obvious. I still kept my stance, prompting her to continue shoving the harsh truth in my face._

" _Admit it! There is no way that you will ever defeat me in your current state! Although I commend you for being brave enough to even fight me for this long, this match has long been decided in my favour! So unless you want to humiliate yourself even further as I stomp you to near unconsciousness, you can always opt to surrender the fight here and now, Arc."_

 _She wasn't wrong. Throughout the entire battle, I couldn't even lay a single finger on her. All of my attacks were dodged with barely any effort, I always took the full blunt of her attacks, and overall, she wasn't taking our fight seriously. I was severely outclassed in terms of skills._

 _But even so, I still kept on going because my friends believed that I could pull it through. They had already seen what I can do in battle as of late, and they were sure that I could handle my own against someone as talented as Weiss. And her belittling of me and our fight due to our differences in strength was what allowed me to give my absolute all from there on out._

 _I took a deep breath and closed my eyes to concentrate, as I stopped my legs from shaking any more than necessary. I thought back to how our fight went from the start to where we were at, and I also thought back to what I know about Weiss' swordsmanship. In my current state, my slashes were too slow to reach her, accompanied by the fact that her movements were fast. I was blocking her attacks with my shield for too long in each session, which what allowed Weiss to seize my weak points. She offered very little opening when I attacked her, and it mostly occurred when she was in her stance._

 _After I took note of everything I knew so far in our battle, I could only come up with one conclusion as to actually reaching her: I needed to catch her off-guard to create an opening._

 _I opened my eyes and solidified my stance, as a surge of confidence came rushing into my very being. "Thanks for the offer. But I have to say no on both options. I'm still gonna try and beat you in your own game, Weiss."_

" _Is that a challenge that I just hear? Hmph! How quaint." she said, still keeping the same mocking tone in her voice, as she brushed off my act of confidence. She slowly pulled her rapier back, the tip of the blade pointing straight at me, as she was preparing an attack. "You can keep on trying. But you will soon come to regret your thoughtless decision."_

 _And with that, she proceeded to slide in towards me, her Myrtenaster extended forward to deliver another powerful thrust attack. By then, I had already seen the attack several times already, so much so that my eyes were able to adjust themselves to the execution. In other words, I could see through her attack._

 _I took a specific step forward and made a quarter rotation with my body, dodging her thrust attack. Immediately afterwards, I pulled my sword back and threw a sideways slash at her. For a split second, I saw that Weiss widened her eyes in shock, as she leaned back, barely dodging my slash and my sword barely cutting a few short strands of her hair. She then backflipped away from me and, once she was on her feet, moved her free hand over her bangs and looked over it._

 _She looked pretty shocked, as she moved her gaze back at me. It was the first time that I ever saw her get shocked by what I just did during the whole entire fight, and it was pretty refreshing to me, to say the least. After a few seconds, she narrowed her expression and proceeded to charge towards me, her rapier ready to deliver a slash attack._

 _I intercepted the attack by clashing my sword with her rapier. When she moved her blade back and threw another slash attack from another direction, I also blocked it with my sword. From there on in, the both of us were clashing blades against each other, with Weiss trying to strike at me, only for me to stop her attempts with Crocea Mors. My eyes were able to better adjust themselves to the swiftness of her slashes, while still keeping a close attention to any opening that they could find._

 _After a couple of sword clashes, Weiss pulled her rapier back and attempted to thrust it at me. I saw it as an opportunity, as I went and deflected the blade with my shield. While she was staggering for a brief second, I moved in to deliver a fierce downward slash at her, sending her pushing back. It was the first time that I was able to inflict some damage into her since the start of the fight._

 _Weiss managed to stop herself from moving further back, as she looked at me with the same shocked expression on her face from the last time. I replied to her stare by flashing a confident grin at her. It might have snapped her out of her confusion, as she charged right at me to throw another string of attacks._

 _Another series of blade clashing took place between us, and Weiss tried to change it up by swinging her rapier at different places than normally so, but I managed to stop it each time. When she was swinging her blade at my legs, I just blocked it with my sword or, as an alternative, jumped over it. When she was aiming her slash at my head, I blocked it with either my sword or my shield, depending on where she was swinging from. When she tried to stab my legs, I just jumped back a bit._

 _It went on for quite a bit until Weiss decided to sweep kick at my legs, after her latest slash was blocked. I quickly jumped over her sweep kick and threw my own kick into her gut while I was still in midair. As a result, she took a couple of steps back, holding onto her kicked stomach, before she quickly recovered and went for a blade thrust. I dodged it by rotating myself in the same fashion as last time, but she took it as an opportunity to rotate herself behind my back and attempt to slash at it sideways._

 _I quickly ducked to avoid her horizontal slash and took it as a chance to sweep my leg back into hers to trip her over. She fell to the ground, but she quickly rolled away from me and got back up on her feet, while I stood back up and turned to face her again at the same time._

 _She wasted no time to charge in again and went for a series of stab attacks at different locations. I dodged her attacks by moving my body away from her blade thrust and only pushing her rapier up with my shield. She used it as a way to redirect her rapier and turn it into another slash attack in a single instant, thought I blocked that as well with my sword, locking ourselves in a blade struggle._

 _The both of us tried to overpower each other in our struggle that went on for a bit, and Weiss ended it by shoving me off with a burst of strength before pulling Myrtenaster back and thrusting it right at me. I went to intercept it by moving my sword under the attack and sliding it across the blade of her rapier down to the cross-guard before swinging upwards. My intention was to deflect her attack, but to my surprise, I ended up disarming her of her rapier, as it was sent flying._

 _Weiss looked very shocked by what just happened, as she took a few steps back as a result. I decided to move into the offensive, as I lunged forward and swing my sword fiercely downwards. The end result was that she was pushed back a short distance away from me. And by coincidence, her rapier fell and planted itself into the ground right next to her._

 _Weiss gripped onto the part of her body that got struck by my sword, as she looked on flabbergasted at how the battle suddenly turned to my favour. Even when we were standing at a distance away from each other, I could still hear her muttering a couple of words. "What in the name of Dust…?!"_

 _To know that she was clearly shocked by how well I was performing against her was in and of itself a great accomplishment for me, and I couldn't stop myself from grinning at it. When I turned my gaze towards the holographic screen showing our respective Aura gauge, to my surprise, both of our individual Aura depletion reached the halfway point, and it looked like Weiss' Aura was depleted a bit more than mine. "Well, would you look at that!" I spoke, unable to contain my astonishment at the progress of our battle. "I'm actually beating you, Weiss!"_

" _What?!" she exclaimed, her eyes widened even further in shock, as she threw her head towards the holographic screen. After a bit of time, she turned her gaze back at me, still looking like she couldn't understand just how it actually happened. "Impossible…! When the match started, you were basically at my mercy, and your attempts to fight back were poor! How is it that you suddenly caught up with my skills and cut my Aura down to half?! What is with this sudden change of tide?!"_

" _Hey, things happen just like that when you put some effort into it, you know."_

" _You? Putting actual effort into it? Please! There is just no way that a slacker such as you would ever bother to be serious at anything related to being a huntsman! It was just simple, dumb luck that allowed you to get this far in school, even becoming a team leader, which I myself find it to be completely ludicrous!"_

"… _You know, that's exactly what I thought about this whole thing too." I admitted, as I lowered my sword and shield down for a moment. I was fully expecting her to say something else to put me down even further, but surprisingly, because that I agreed with her thoughts on the matter, she suddenly got quiet. After waiting for her to speak up about it, with no answer after a few seconds, I decided to keep talking. "I know just how weak I am compared to you, compared to everyone else in Beacon. When I started out, I wasn't exactly the strongest or the brightest out of all the first-year students here. Pretty much the opposite, really. During our time at the Emerald Forest at the start of our first semester, I saw just how amazing you guys are when fighting against Grimm, which really hammered in just how pathetic I was. And when the Headmaster announced the teams, even now, I'm still shocked that I became the leader of Team JNPR in the first place, instead of Pyrrha, Ren or even Nora… Ok, scratch that last part."_

 _As I kept talking about my thoughts on the whole matter, Weiss was still standing there, apparently listening to my words. "I can't exactly recall what I did that got me in the leadership role. I wasn't as strong as my other teammates, I wasn't as smart as them, I wasn't even gifted with some talent as with the rest. All of those facts are obvious to me and everyone else here. I didn't feel like I deserve to be a leader at all. I'm just not leader material."_

" _If this is how you exactly feel, then why…?"_

" _I guess… it's because there's a reason why I was chosen to be a leader in the first place. My friends thought so too, and they encourage me to keep going with my status. I still don't know what the reason is… But I intend to find out what. Even when I'm not cut out to be a leader, even if the decision to make me the leader is a mistake… When it comes to even a huntsman, I'm not going to walk away. That's why I've decided to train myself as hard as I can to catch up with everyone, and to meet the standards of what it takes to be a team leader, no matter the odds! I have my own reasons for being here, and I intend to stay being a huntsman no matter what anybody says about me! I'll still fight on for my goals, whether you like it or not!"_

 _I was pretty surprised that Weiss hadn't open her mouth even once to raise an objection to what I said. It was even more surprising that she was willing to listen to all of it, with her eyes wide opened and almost looking like she was moved by the whole thing. She turned her head away and shut her eyes, as her lips started moving to form words that were barely audible. Thinking back on it, it looked like she was cursing herself for some reason._

 _When she moved her sights back towards me with her eyes open, her usual smirk came back, as well as her haughty demeanour. "Wow. Quite an impressive speech you got there. What, did you spent several days practicing it in front of your own reflection?"_

" _Of course not! … Okay, maybe just a teeny bit."_

" _Although, you have indeed caught me by surprise with your unexpected resolve. It's not every day that a slacker such as yourself would get serious about anything. Though I remain skeptical about it, especially in the face of your atrocious performance in school." Sheesh. If words can kill, hers certainly would. "Nevertheless, deeming you as an underachiever in our fight is my only mistake that led me to such predicament."_

" _So, what happens now?"_

" _You should already know the answer by now." She then pulled Myrtenaster out of the floor and lifted it up in front of her face. I followed her example by lifting my sword and shield back up, as I got myself prepared for her next move. "Our little sparring match has gone on long enough, don't you think? Now is the time to end this." Just after she said that, Myrtenaster's chamber started to spin, giving me a clue that she was going all out this time around. "Although you might best me in terms of swordsmanship, there is only one conclusion that I will accept in any fight. In other words, I refuse to lose. Especially to you!"_

 _With that said, Weiss stabbed her rapier into the ground, creating a large wall of ice that directed itself towards me. As with any huge attack, I dodged it by rolling out of the away. Just as I was standing up afterwards, Weiss had created a glyph above and behind her, and she already jumped and set her feet on it before propelling herself forward, pulling back her rapier in preparation for an attack._

 _I lifted my shield up to try and block her flight attack, only to notice that she flew past me. I quickly turned around and the first thing that I saw was that she had her feet against another glyph created above the ground near me and facing my way. Before I could react fast enough, Weiss had already pushed herself diagonally downward and knocked me off the ground with her dive kick._

 _I fell flat on the ground in the process, but I wasted no time to quickly stand up and retake my fighting stance. By then, Weiss had already charged in with a slash attack, which I blocked with my sword. She then gave me a series of slash and thrust attacks that were either blocked or dodged by me, as I gradually walk back to give myself room to intercept her blows._

 _Suddenly, I felt something solid against my back that prevented me from baking away anymore, despite us not being anywhere near the walls. Another one of Weiss' glyphs had appeared right behind me, and I made a mistake of taking a glimpse at it before she struck me with a slash from her rapier._

 _The resulting shove from her strike caused me to bounce off the glyph, only for her to launch another attack against me with the same results. She repeated the process until I finally got myself out of there by rolling away from both her and the glyph. I then stood up and distanced myself away from her, just in time to see her next move._

 _She created a glyph right in front of her and, by repeatedly stabbing through it, produced small icicles that were shot out of the glyph in quick succession. I barely deflected most of the icicles with my sword and shield, until one of them grazed my cheek, and another hit one of my legs, forcing me to fall on one knee. I could barely recover from the attack before Weiss rushed in and thrust her rapier against me, shoving me back until I fell on my back._

 _I winced in pain as my back was still resting on the ground. When I had my eyes up, I remarked that a few glyphs had appeared in the air, each displaced differently and raised a level higher than the other. Then Weiss came into view, as she jumped on each individual glyphs in a zigzag pattern, moving higher up as she went. She stopped at the glyph located at the very top, as she crouched upside-down on it and moved her gaze down on me. I realized what she was trying to do._

 _She pushed herself off the glyph and dove down towards me with Myrtenaster extended forward. I quickly got up on my feet and jumped back before she could skewer me into the floor. But the moment I did that, a huge glyph almost half the size of the stage appeared below us, and when she plunged her rapier into it, it produce a huge field of ice that stuck out of the ground, and I was unfortunate to get caught in it._

 _I found myself completely encased in ice, though only my head was stuck out of it. I struggled to get myself free, even resorting to flailing my head around, but the ice was too dense for me to even break it. Weiss just stood a few feet away from me, at the centre of the ice field, as she created another smaller glyph behind her before pressing both of her feet against it. As she crouched against the glyph, the glyph itself started to get larger and larger, clueing me in that her next attack would be a decisive one._

" _Victory is mine!" she shouted before forcing herself forward off the glyph, speeding through the air as she extended her leg towards me, the bottom of her foot aiming at me. Just before her flying kick made contact with my face, I blurted out one thing that first came to mind._

" _Oh SHIT!"_

 _The kick made its way into my face, and I was shot out of my ice prison. I was sent flying as further back as possible, until I crashed face-first into a wall upside-down. After just a couple of seconds, I slowly slid down on the wall until my entire body was lying down on the ground. I no longer had any strength left to continue the fight. "Ohh…"_

" _That is enough." I heard Professor Goodwitch's voice from a distance, just as I heard her footsteps. Despite still having my face planted on the floor, I probably figured that she was walking in-between us. "The final match has been decided. Once again, victory goes to Miss Weiss Schnee!"_

 _I heard hand clapping coming from the rest of the students in class. I made the effort to lift myself up on both palms and knees, as I lifted my head up to look at Weiss, who was standing where I initially was, and the Professor who was standing in-between us._

" _Miss Schnee, as always, you have performed considerably in your final match." the Professor praised her. Weiss responded by smiling with pride. Then, she instantly dropped her smile when Professor Goodwitch made the following comment. "However, I find your initial approach in this fight to be… questionable, to say the least."_

" _H-how so, Professor?" Weiss asked nervously._

" _When the match started, you have made the decision to fight Mister Arc using purely your skills with the blade, which not only is arrogant, but also reckless of you. It is also apparent when Mister Arc started to gain the upper hand, giving you a tactical disadvantage." Her critique was enough to make Weiss grip her arm in discomfort. "Though, I will allow your initial action just this once, since this is a match between fellow classmates. But know that, in an actual battle, especially one concerning the Vytal Tournament, you cannot afford to hold back on your abilities. Always fight to the full extent of your abilities, Miss Schnee."_

" _Yes, Professor." Weiss bowed her head. "I assure you that I will not make the same mistake again."_

" _I am certain that you will not." The Professor nodded. By the time she turned herself towards me, I was already sitting on the floor, after I managed to get myself off of it. I was fully prepared for her to scold me in some way. "As for you, Mister Arc… Well, I have to say, I am… mildly impressed by your efforts thus far."_

 _Her suddenly complimenting me was a big surprise to me, especially since she usually scolded me each time I fought and lost a sparring match. Though, she might still be bitter because she specifically said that she was 'mildly' impressed. "R-really, Professor?"_

" _Of course. The fact that you have assessed the situation and found that you can actually harm your opponent by countering through their elaborate attack pattern is a significant improvement, in my opinion. Miss Schnee is very skilled in the art of fencing, and yet, you have shown the ability to outmatch her in terms of skills with the sword. You have made quite an achievement."_

" _Eh… Heh heh… Thanks, Professor." I chuckled sheepishly. I was still surprised that the Professor would give me such a big compliment. Though, I had to wonder if there wasn't any catch._

"… _However," Yep. There was. It wouldn't be Professor Goodwitch without her usual scolding of me. "Relying on simply one course of action would not win a battle. A tactic, as with any other tactics, will lose its utility after a period of time, in which case, the enemy will adapt to and bypass it with ease. You cannot hope to counter your opponent's attacks forever, Mister Arc. It is the matter of adapting to the situation at hand as the battle progressed. And more importantly, you are still in a severe disadvantage against your opponent's use of Dust and Semblance. This is a constant issue that you still possess. Unless you are resorting to utilize Dust next time around, or you discover your own Semblance, winning a battle would forever be difficult to achieve. I hope that you understand this, Mister Arc, and improve yourself to counteract such obstacles in the next few sessions."_

" _Y-yes, Professor. I understand." I nodded to her. I can't even tell you how many times she gave me the exact same assessment._

" _I certainly hope so." she said. Then, she turned her gaze at the entire class still sitting on the audience benches. "And thus ends today's class session. To all the students who have participated today, as well as those who have participated in the past, take heed of my commentaries of each of you to refine your abilities. By the time that the next Combat Class starts, I will see to it that you have proven yourself capable to qualify for the upcoming Vytal Tournament. Until then, class is dismissed."_

 _With her final announcement, Professor Goodwitch started to walk out of the stage, and the class session was finally over for the day. I let out a tired sigh, as I retracted my shield back into its sheath form, sheathed Crocea Mors and placed them on the side of my belt. I started to dust myself off a little, until a hand suddenly appeared in front of my face._

 _Moving my head up to see who the hand belonged to, I was really surprised to see that it was Weiss who was extending her hand to me. She didn't look prideful, she didn't look like she was about to laugh in my face, she just… Well, her expression was just neutral, I guess._

 _I still stared at her for a short moment before she decided to speak up. "Well? Are you going to take my hand, or do you find the ground to be much comfortable to sit on?"_

" _Oh! Uh… Right…" I awkwardly took her hand as I pulled myself up on my feet. Weiss still had a neutral look on her face, and it seemed like she was staring into my eyes. I subconsciously did the same, and we stayed like that for quite a bit. I broke out of my gaze when I realized that I was still holding her hand, and I quickly let go of it before it got too awkward. "Uh, sorry about that!"_

" _There is… no need to apologize." she replied. I completely ignored the fact that she said something that was unlike her, especially when it was to me._

" _Uh… Heh… That was a pretty good fight, you know." I chuckled as I scratched the back of my head. "Well… It is to me. Not really sure if it's the same to you. I almost thought that I had you for a second there, but I know better than to win against the graceful Weiss Schnee herself."_

 _I was expecting her to reply with a jab at my self-confidence, but to my surprise, she didn't say anything. When I took a close look at her, I noticed that her neutral expression shifted. It became more soft and her eyes were showing… concern. But for what reason? "Uh… What's going on, Weiss?"_

" _Huh? Oh, no, it's nothing." she said while turning her head away from me. There was something off about her, but I couldn't tell what. "I… didn't hurt you too badly, did I?"_

" _Wha? Um, not really, no." I shrugged. "I mean, it's only natural that I feel pain from all of your blows, but not to the point where I get seriously wounded. That's what an Aura is for, you know?" I tried to reassure her, but she still looked concerned. It got up to the point where she was showing… regret._

" _That's not what I am talking about…"_

" _Uh… Then what is?" What was Weiss trying to say? I found it weird that she even bothered to ask about my well-being._

" _It is just… I… Jaune, I just…" Wait… Did she just call me Jaune?_

" _Jaune! Weiss!" I heard the voice of a certain girl with the red hood calling out to us. We both turned our gaze towards the voice and saw Ruby running at us, followed by Yang and Blake._

 _Ruby stopped running as soon as she got near us. "Wow, you guys! That was a pretty good match! Especially for you, Jaune! You actually managed to turn things around against her at one point!"_

" _Heh heh… Thanks, Ruby." I chuckled._

" _Hmph. Please. I would hardly call it a decent fight." Weiss disagreed, as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her haughty attitude seemed to be returning, but I still wondered what was up with her just a moment ago. "This buffoon was simply lucky. If it wasn't for that, I would have wiped the floor with him."_

" _Riiiight. Of course it was just luck. It's not like I didn't see you get totally surprised by how Jaune almost beat you in a sword fight." Ruby teased her, causing Weiss to deny her claim in an exaggerated fashion. "But still, you could have gone easy on him, you know? For a moment, I thought that you seriously hurt him with all of your harsh and relentless blows."_

" _You're joking, right?" Weiss asked in disbelief. "Do not tell me that you are seriously worried about him getting hurt? This is how it goes in Combat Class, Ruby! We are expected to give our all, to show our worth as huntresses! Besides, Professor Goodwitch was supervising our fights, and I am certain that she would have intervene, if that were the case!"_

" _Well, yeah, but…" Before Ruby could continue to express her worries, Yang walked up behind her and wrapped her arm over her little sister's shoulder._

" _Hey, don't sweat it, sis! Weiss is right, you know." she said. "No one was in a serious danger of getting hurt. Just look at Vomit Boy here! He looks good as new! If he really was hurt, he wouldn't be here standing alongside us, right?" Ruby started to ponder about that, before she nodded in agreement to what Yang said. "Attagirl!" Yang grinned, as she pulled her sister even closer in her arm, as Ruby begged her to stop hugging her so tightly._

 _With Blake silently joining the other girls from behind, Team RWBY were finally together again. It felt really good to see a team as colourful as them interacting with each other like they were the best of friends. Maybe that's how they became the best team among first-year students._

 _As I continued to observe Team RWBY's interactions, I felt a hand touching my shoulder. I turned my head and saw Pyrrha standing right next to me, giving me a proud smile. "Jaune, you did really well in your fight against Weiss. Your training really paid off."_

" _You think so, Pyrrha?"_

" _Of course she is!" I heard Nora's voice, as she popped her head out from behind Pyrrha, displaying her huge grin. "You almost took down little Ice Queen with your smart moves! Did you see the look on her face? That was awesome! Imagine what her face would look like if he actually beats her! It'll be glorious~!" Just seeing Nora going on and on about what would happen if I defeated Weiss with her usual hyperactive behaviour put a big, old smile on my face._

" _Of course, it doesn't change the fact that Weiss did beat him today." Ren said, as he walked by our two teammates. "If she was using her entire arsenal from the start, then the fight would have been over a lot sooner. And we all know that Jaune has no chance at winning against her, if it were the case."_

" _Geez, Ren. Thanks for lifting my spirits up." I said sarcastically._

 _He simply chuckled, as he placed his hand on my other shoulder. "Regardless, you did pretty well against her. It shows how much you've improved since the beginning."_

 _Pyrrha nodded in agreement to what Ren said. "Yes. And like I said before, Jaune, it's not the result of the battle that matters, but the progress that you have shown. You should be happy that you're one step closer to becoming what you want to be."_

" _Yeah… You're right. Thanks, you guys." I smiled at my team, and they smiled in return. "Okay, team! What do you say we hit the cafeteria? I'm actually starting to get a bit hungry after all of that!"_

" _Of course." Ren spoke. "It is especially good for Nora, since they are making pancakes for lunch today."_

" _Yaaaaay!" Nora cheered as she threw her arms up enthusiastically. "Oh sweet, delicious pancakes! Your queen shall soon be there by your side! And you will all find a new home in my wonderful belly!"_

 _The rest of Teamn JNPR laughed at Nora's sweet-toothed reaction, as we all started to walk out of the amphitheatre. By then, I already forgot about Weiss' strange change of behaviour at the end of our fight. I thought to myself that it was just my imagination, and the real Weiss would never act like that towards a guy like me._

 _I didn't notice at all back then, but I think I felt a pair of icy blue eyes watching me, as I left the amphitheatre with my team…_

* * *

 _You've ever get the feeling where you're stuck doing homework for a class that you are absolutely terrible at, and that same homework consists of writing a five-page report of all the stuff that your teacher barely talks about that isn't related to his life, and it is due for the next day? I have. Lots of times. The exact same feeling came back in the evening after my match with Weiss._

 _I was sitting at one of the desks in Team JNPR's dorm room, with a blank sheet of paper with the title of the subject that we were supposed to write about written on it sitting on one corner of the desk, a huge open book lying on another corner, and a bunch of papers scattered all over the surface of the desk. Studying was never my strong point, especially when it was with Professor Peter Port's Grimm Class. So you can probably tell my dilemma right there._

 _In my nervous state, I decided to look around the room, trying to find something that could help me out with my struggle against the homework assignment. Sadly, I could find only one, and that was Ren, who was sitting on the edge of his bed, reading a novel of sort. Pyrrha was out helping out a teacher to set up something big for next class, while Nora was out doing who knows what. So it was just me and Ren in our room._

 _I didn't want to bother him with my assignment which I stupidly set aside until the last minute. But I was desperate for some help, even if it was just a small one. "H-hey, Ren! Buddy!" I called out to him while waving my arm at him._

 _Ren lowered his book as he set his sights on me. "Is something the matter, Jaune?"_

" _What? No! Of course not! … Well, okay, maybe just a bit." I smiled nervously. "Actually, I want to ask you just one little thing, in particular. You don't mind, right?"_

" _Sure. Why not?" Ren shrugged. "So what do you want to ask me about?"_

" _Um, okay! Uh, what I wanna ask is… Uh…" I had to look back on my notes to see what exactly I should ask without making it obvious that I was dealing with something big. I found one topic that caught my eye, and I decided to ask him about that. "Okay, so here it is! Um, how exactly do Grimm evolve? And what was the resulting effect?"_

" _Oh, that's simple. Most Grimm are born as lesser beings, such as Beowolves. Huntsmen are always tasked to eliminate Grimm whenever possible, and lesser Grimm are the easiest types to dispatch. However, when lesser Grimm escaped death at the hands of huntsmen, they grow in strength and mind as a result. They will continue to do so after surviving each battle until they become more powerful Grimm, capable of slaying huntsmen weaker than them. For example, a simple Ursa can evolve into an Ursa Major after it survived many battles."_

 _Wow. Ren's explanation was much more clearer than Professor Port's, and he actually explained them without going off-topic. "Oh, so that's how it is? Okay, I got it. Thanks, Ren."_

"… _Is this because of Professor Port's homework assignment?"_

" _Oh, that? Haha, well, that's just… Uh… Um… Yeah. It is." I confessed. I should have known that Ren was smart enough to see right through me. "I'm actually starting to work on it right now. But I have no clue what to write about, and it's due tomorrow. I didn't want to annoy you with my stupid problem…"_

 _Ren looked at me for a bit before he sighed, closed his book, put it down on his bed, and walked over to my side. "Alright, Jaune, I'm going to help you complete your homework assignment, but just this once. After that, you really should kick off the habit of doing things at the last minute."_

" _R-really? You don't mind helping me out with it?"_

" _Of course not. That's what teammates are for, right?" Ren smiled at me, signifying his intention of helping me getting through my struggles against my homework. I guess being the only two guys in a team kinda helped._

" _Wow. Thanks, Ren. Remind me to make it up to you, somehow." I thanked him, now feeling confident to tackle the assignment with him by my side._

 _But just as we were about to work on it, the door bursted open and Nora marched into the room with two envelopes in her hand. Oh, so that was what she was doing. Rather mundane, but okay. "You got mail~!" she said in a singsong manner. She walked in to where Ren and I was, and she handed one envelope to Ren. "Here you go, Ren! This one's for you!"_

" _Oh, thank you, Nora." he said, as he took the envelope from Nora's hand. "I rarely get any letters since coming here. And this one is from… Nora." He paused before saying the name of the sender. So Nora gave him a letter addressed to him and it was from… Nora herself. I failed to see the point of it._

 _But it did got her excited, though. When Ren looked back at her, she was smiling widely and nodding her head with eagerness. He didn't seem to mind, as a small smile appeared on his face. "Heh… I guess I have to read it now, huh?"_

 _Nora's smile got even wider when Ren started to open her letter to him. Then, she went over to my side, as she handed me the second envelope. "And heeeeeere's for you, Jaune! A surprise letter!"_

" _Oh, thanks, Nora." I thanked her, taking it out of her hands. I wondered if the letter was sent by my family, as it had been a while since I've had any sort of communication with them. However, when I looked at it, there was only confusion, as the sender's name was never written on it. I couldn't find the name in the front or in the back. I wondered if it really was from my family, or if it was someone else. "Uh… Hey, Nora? Do you know who sent this letter to me?"_

" _Nope! Didn't write their names on it anywhere! They must've forgot or something, I dunno." she replied._

" _An anonymous letter?" Ren asked, as he looked over to my letter. "Hm… They might have written their names inside. You should probably take a look."_

" _Yeah, you're right." I listened to Ren's suggestion and opened the enveloped and pulled out the letter. Unfortunately, the sender's name wasn't written on the letter either. Instead, there was only a single sentences written on it:_

Meet me in front of the school statue at 8:00 PM.

 _That…. looked like a note to me. And an intimidating one at that._

" _This is rather ominous." Ren commented after he read the note, apparently sharing the same feeling as me. "The sender refused to add in their name, and yet they demanded that you come as per their instructions. I don't like the looks of this, Jaune."_

" _Yeah, no kidding." I nodded in agreement._

" _Wow, how mysterious…" Nora said, as she took the note right out of my hands to look at it herself. "Hmmm… Maybe it's from that Cardin douchebag?"_

" _Oh, I really hope not!" I groaned at the thought of having to deal with Cardin of all people. "I really don't want him messing with my life this semester too! It was going so well…!"_

" _I say we just ignore their demands, Jaune." Ren suggested. "We have no idea what their intentions are, and it's possible that they're simply seeking to cause trouble for us, based on how ominous the letter is. But the decision is yours to make, nevertheless."_

 _I started to contemplate on my decision. If the letter really was from a troublesome person like Cardin, then I would definitely be in for a world of hurt, and I would only have myself to blame for it. But at the same time, it could be an important message, and I really couldn't afford to miss the meeting. There was only two scenarios, and only one of them had a chance of happening._

 _After thinking long and hard, I made my decision. "I don't think I can handle not knowing who it is from. So I guess I can go ahead and meet them."_

" _Want us to tag along, leader?" Nora asked. "We can beat the living crap out of those guys, if they turn out to be big bullies."_

" _No, that's okay, Nora. I think I can handle this myself."_

 _Ren nodded. "Alright, I can see that you have made your decision. But you better make it quick because it's already 7:55 PM now."_

" _It is?" I turned my head towards the clock and realized that it was definitely 7:55 PM, just five minutes before our intended meeting. "Oh wow, it's that late already? I better get going!" Not wanting to waste any more time, I quickly ran out of the room in order to get to my meeting place with the mysterious sender. "Wish me luck, guys!"_

" _Be careful, Jaune! If anything happens, give us a call!" Ren shouted out to me just before I disappeared into the hallway._

 _I was determined to find out who the letter belonged to. But one thing is for sure, that night would turn out to be something very eventful to me. Especially when it was with a certain someone who I very least expected to meet with…_

* * *

 _I tried to run outside of the school building as fast as I could, but not too loudly as to bother some of the students and teachers throughout the dorm. I finally exited the school from the front entrance with just about, uh… 5 minutes later than the intended meeting time._

 _The evening sky was clearly seen in full view, and the Moon itself was radiating its light onto the school grounds. The first thing that I could see in plain sight, after I left the building, was the back view of the school statue that was located several feet away from the entrance. That was where I was supposed to meet the mysterious owner of the rather intimidating-looking letter. I started to march towards it._

 _While I was on my waiting to the statue, I started to think about how I should approach the situation. If it was someone who wanted to tell me something important, then it's simple. Just talk to them and see what they had to say. But, if it was someone who turned out to be a jerkwad, then I had to figure out how to deal with it. Even though I told Ren and Nora that I could handle it myself, in all honesty, I hadn't really thought ahead. I had only a short moment to think of a way to counteract that situation, or I'm toast._

 _As I began to get closer and closer to the school statue, my ears started to pick up a sound. Not just any sound, but one that I didn't expect to hear at that time of the night. It sounded like… like the singing of a lady with an angelic voice. And it sounded… familiar._

 _It certainly caught my attention. When I listened to the singing carefully, I became aware that it came from where the school statue was. I resumed my walking towards it, as the singing got louder and louder with step I took. When I got near the back of the statue, I could see someone standing in front of it. The source of the singing came from her, and I realized who it was._

 _It was Weiss. She was the one who was singing with a voice of an angel. I knew that the singing voice belonged to her. I knew it because I was there, during one of her performances in a theatre. But what was Weiss doing there at that time of the night?_

 _I decided to stand still behind the statue, not wanting to interrupt her singing. I wouldn't even dare to interrupt it, as her voice, as she sang, felt very soothing to the soul. Anyone who could hear at that close of a distance would have been filled with tons of emotions. It truly had a touching affect to a person's heart, my own included._

 _She ended her singing with one, relatively high note before it faded away. I still stood there, watching in awe at another one of her musical performances. "… You know, if this was a stealth mission, you would have easily been caught by now, Arc."_

 _Her comment startled me, as I didn't expect her to know that I was there without her looking. I didn't think I did anything that would alert her of my presence. Weiss then turned her head back to look at me, to show that she did intact knew that I was there. My only reply was to give her a goofy smile, as I scratched the back of my head awkwardly. "Uh, h-hey, Weiss! It's a surprise to see you here tonight! So, um… How did you know that it was me?"_

" _Well, a numbskull like you doesn't exactly have a rather… pleasant presence around here."_

 _I was about to ask what did she meant by that, but I backed away from it, since it would be rather pointless to ask. I walked towards her before standing at the same place as her, in front of the statue. "So, uh… What are you doing here, Weiss?"_

" _As you can already see, I'm practicing my singing." she replied. "And before you ask, the reason why I'm practicing now is because I don't necessarily want any unwanted attention from anyone. This time of the night is perfect for me to practice without anyone around here to disturb me."_

" _Oh, I see. Well, eh… Heh heh… Too bad that I came in at the wrong timing, right?"_

 _She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, what of you? What is your reason for coming here at this hour?"_

" _Huh? Oh, right!" I exclaimed, as I remembered why I bothered to come there. I pulled out the note from my pocket, as I told her my purpose. "Actually, I got a letter from somebody telling me to come here at 8, but I don't exactly know who they are." I looked around me to see if there was anyone there besides me and Weiss. Back then, I wasn't smart enough to put two and two together. "But, uh… It looks like they're not here yet. I guess something must've come up for them to be late."_

 _Weiss blinked her eyes, for some reason. With a sigh, she walked over to the statue and sat down on the base. "Well, if you truly intend to find out who that mysterious owner of the letter is, perhaps you'd like to sit here and wait for them?" she asked, as she patted her hand to the empty spot next to her._

 _I found myself dumbfounded by her proposition. In fact, it barely even registered in my head. "Are you… pulling my leg? Do you really want me to sit right next to you?"_

" _What else could I be talking about?" she asked, slightly irritated by my hesitation. "Or perhaps you would like to stand there like an idiot until your legs break off from sheer fatigue? That is also a valid option."_

" _Uh, r-right." I hurried over and sat right next to her, but not too close as to invade her personal space. I decided to wait like that until the supposed owner of the letter showed up, while Weiss stayed seated next to me. I still had no clue why she wanted to offer her company to a guy like me, or why she hadn't left already._

 _The both of us had been sitting at the base of the statue for at least five or ten minutes, and the mysterious sender still hadn't show up. I felt really awkward sitting right next to her and doing nothing, as I thought that my presence would be pretty irritating to her. So I decided to speak up. "Um… Nice evening we're having here. A bit chilly, but still."_

" _I haven't noticed the cold weather. Though, it is nice indeed." she simply replied. I guess she wouldn't notice it because of how often she was using ice Dust._

 _I couldn't find the opportunity to continue the conversation, so I got back to being quiet. After a few seconds, however, I went for another question. "So, uh… How's homework coming along?"_

" _Very well. I've already finished my assignments shortly after they were distributed to me." Obviously, since she's at the top of every class._

 _Just like last time, I couldn't find anything else to keep the conversation going, so I went silent again._

 _The next time that we talked to each other, to my surprise, it was Weiss who went to ask me a question. And an unexpected one too. "Hey… What do you think of my singing?"_

" _Wha?" I said, stunned by her question. She then gave me a look that was strong enough to pierce into my soul, which forced me to reply. "O-oh! Um, it's, uh… It's great! You sang really amazingly! Your voice really did the trick! I'm sure that anyone who first experience your singing will fall heads over heels for you in an instant!"_

"… _Hmph. I wonder about that." she scoffed, as she averted her eyes away from me as her lips formed a sarcastic smirk._

 _I raised a confused eyebrow at her reaction. "Uh… What do you mean?"_

" _Have you forgotten who I am?" she asked. "I'm the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, the most renowned producer and exporter of Dust in the entire Remnant. When people hear of me, this is the first thing that will always come in mind. Nothing else comes afterwards."_

" _You, uh… You make it sound like it's a bad thing."_

" _Hmph. Why don't you decide if this is truly the case?" She then threw a mean gaze at me, for some reason. "But if you wish to know my stance on it, then let me tell you this. What attracts boys to go after someone as famous as I? Is it their appearance? Is it their qualities? No. It's wealth. The idea of being wealthy is what drives foolish boys to latch onto a woman. It's the only thing that matters to them. And once they have achieved it, what do you think happens between them and their precious person? The answer might surprise you." Her explanation continued to the point where she was scowling at me, while still keeping her sarcastic smile. "Tell me, Arc. Do you think wealth is what determines a person's love?"_

 _From the way she said it, it was pretty clear that she was bitter about the whole matter. I guess it did explain why she turned down a lot of guys without a second thought, and she wasn't interested in going after anybody… Well, except for one person. But what I don't really get is why she was directing it at me._

 _After listening to what she had to say, I could only shook my head in response. "No, of course not. I mean, where's the logic in that?"_

" _That's what you say. But I know a greedy boy when I see it, and I've spent several years witnessing it. Admit it, Arc. You act like you're searching for a girl that you can give affection for, but really, you're just hungry for wealth, and that girl is the perfect target to achieve your mindless satisfaction."_

"… _So you really are directing it at me." I found myself getting irritated. "Look, I don't know what's your beef against me, but I find it really sad that you're even comparing me to those kinds of jerks. You're not the only one who finds it stupid. I mean, falling in love with somebody because they're rich? That's as blind as anybody can get. It doesn't lead to a good life, especially for the richer person, and it certainly doesn't lead to a peaceful harmony. It really undermines the person's more sophisticated and honest qualities by narrowing down to a single, simpleminded aspect that doesn't even define who the person is."_

 _After my rather calm outburst, Weiss suddenly went wide-eyed, as if she realized something. "You… You really didn't think that this is how it should go?"_

" _Of course not. Like I said, it's stupid to love someone just for their wealth. There are other notable qualities that really define the person, such as their personalities, their values, their way of thinking, their talents, heck, anything that defines a person for who they are, not for what they have! If you ask me, for the boys who are after you, this is what we should keep in mind about you. Weiss, you're really smart because you're at the top of every single class we attend to. You're graceful because you approach anything with a formal attitude, especially when you fight with a rapier like Myrtenaster. You're talented because not only are you really intelligent and a great fighter, but your singing can easily melt the hearts of anyone around you. This is how boys should think about when they're attracted to you, because those qualities are what makes you you. That's how I believe. Don't even think that I'm like those jerks who are only interested in being famous, Weiss."_

 _After I made my whole point how we should approach love, Weiss stayed quiet for a bit, before she slowly turned her head away from me and lowered her gaze down on the ground. It looked like her expression was showing… remorse. "… Damn it… I thought that I had peg you for a greedy fool… But I only made it worse for myself…"_

 _Hearing her say that, something clicked in my head. What I thought to be a coincidence was actually planned out, by Weiss. "The fact that we meet each other like this… It's not a coincidence, right? Weiss, what is this all about?"_

" _Well… The truth is, I… Jaune…" There it was again. She said my first name for the second time that day._

" _Did you just call me Jaune?"_

" _What? Is it strange for me to call someone by their first name?"_

" _No, it's just… You rarely ever call me that. I figured that you only ever called your friends and trusted allies by their first name, including Ruby, Yang, Blake, Pyrrha, heck, just about anybody who you find to be trustworthy. You only call people that you don't like by their last names, like Cardin and… Well, me."_

" _I see… That is another thing to add to my ever growing list…"_

 _I slowly come to understand that she had a reason to be there, at the same time as me. "What gives?"_

" _Jaune…" She started to speak, only to trail off. She took a deep breath before she turned her head back at me. "Tell me… That letter that you mentioned just moments ago… Who do you think it belongs to?"_

" _The letter? Well…" I looked down at the note that was still in my hand. The owner of the letter never gave me their name, and all I got was a single sentence written on the note. I decided to examine the note itself very closely, starting with the handwriting. The sentence was written in a very fancy cursive way, as if it was written by someone who was of royalty._

 _It was then that I realized, after looking at only one clue to the sender's identity. I looked at Weiss with my eyes widened in shock. "Weiss… This letter… It was you?"_

" _Of course it was me, you dunce!" she exclaimed, looking irritated that I just discovered who the letter was from. "I thought for certain that you would recognize my handwriting, since you are often sitting right next to me in most classes!"_

" _Uh… Heh heh… I'm not exactly that quick to notice sooner…"_

 _She sighed. "In any case… Yes, I was the one who sent you this letter. And as to why I even ask you to come here to meet me… It's because there is a matter that I want to settle with you…"_

" _And what could that be?" I asked. She stayed quiet, as she moved her gaze back down on the ground, as her expression showed a mix of discomfort and regret. From the look of things, it seemed to be something serious, but only she knew what it was. "Seriously, what's up?"_

" _Jaune… I… I want to… apologize."_

 _That one sentence said by her was enough to catch me by surprise. I had to be dreaming. I mean, Weiss Schnee wanting to apologize me, Jaune Arc? It couldn't possible be real. "Wha…? I-I'm sorry, but I think I might have misheard you. Did you say-?"_

" _I said I want to apologize… for how I treated you earlier today…" It had got to be a dream. There was no way that she would ever apologize to me, the one guy who she considered to be the most annoying out of everyone she knew and met! But I came to realize that it wasn't my imagination, especially when she had a solemn look on her face._

 _She went silent after stating her intention, but suddenly, she roughly shook her head before looking at me with eyes showing remorse. "No, no…! I want to apologize for everything that I've caused you! For treating you like a good-for-nothing! For belittling you without a care in the world! All of this without even knowing the kind of person that you really are!"_

 _I was further caught off-guard by her sudden outburst. "Whoa, Weiss, calm down! I-"_

" _Please! Let me continue!" she exclaimed, causing me to shut my mouth. "Ever since we first came to Beacon… The first time I saw you, I already deemed you a weak, pathetic clown who simply got lucky that he even entered the academy in the first place. The feeling intensified when I saw you in action, fighting ineffectively against Grimm. It especially worsened when you incessantly tried to ask me out. At that point, I thought that you had no right to be a huntsman in the first place, that you had no place among us in Beacon…"_

 _Weiss started to wrap her arms around her, as her body slightly shook. "But… Earlier in there semester, especially during the dance… I started to see you in a different light… When I found out from Neptune that it was you who managed to convince him to go back and see me, I realized that you were doing it for my sake, for my happiness. I knew that you truly wanted to ask me out to the dance, yet you sacrificed that chance just so that I could be happy. I was really grateful… And it was then that I started to feel remorse…"_

 _She lifted her head up as she looked at the night sky and the beautiful moon. "At first, I deluded myself into thinking that it was a mere coincidence, and that you were still the pathetic buffoon from the beginning. But as the semester progressed itself, I started to doubt my delusions. Each time I saw you, your self-confidence has improved. And during Combat Class, your skills have also improved since the beginning, despite still not on par with everybody else's. And especially earlier today… You still intend to fight as a huntsman… You knew that you are weaker than your teammates, than anyone else in the academy, yet you still want to work as hard as you can to become what you want to be… Your determination, your resolve… is more than enough to make you a true huntsman…"_

 _As she lowered her head down from looking at the sky, she closed her eyes shut, as her body shook even more. "And what's worse… is that I still deluded myself just moments ago…! I wanted to prove myself that you are just a pathetic fool who cares nothing but himself…! I was so desperate to convince myself, that when you told me of your true feelings on the matter… I felt horrible about myself…!_

 _I never thought that I would see the day where Weiss wanted to apologize for how she was treating a moron like me. It had gotten to the point where she was on the verge of tears, as she bit her lower lip. "Jaune…! I… I'm truly sorry…! I behaved extremely condescendingly towards you that I blinded myself from seeing your true strength…! I mistrusted you the most out of everyone who are willing to be my allies…! I can never forgive myself for inhumanly treating you so badly…! Jaune…! I'm really, really sorry…!"_

 _She was expressing her remorse to me in the most passionate way possible. If I was the me in the past who was still crushing on her, I would see it as a huge achievement, that Weiss finally acknowledged me. But seeing the esteemed, elegant Weiss Schnee close to breaking down… It pained my heart to see her like that. I never wanted to see my friends sad… Especially Weiss._

" _H-hey… No need to beat yourself up over it, Weiss." I tried to cheer her up. "I mean, you don't have to apologize for anything. I can understand."_

" _How can you still say that…?!" she asked, still shutting her eyes close to prevent any tears from leaking out. "I treated you horribly…! I called you a weakling, an imbecile, a sorry excuse of a huntsman…! I have never bothered to discover the real you…! How can I ever call myself a splendid huntress after everything I've done to you…?!"_

" _Weiss, listen… You may blame yourself for thinking this way about me… But that doesn't mean there's no truth in your way of thinking." I reassured her, which earned me a look from her with her eyes slightly opened, her tears visibly formed in both corners of her eyes. "I'm not strong like everyone else. I can't even beat you when you're at your full strength, back in Combat Class. Though I intend to change that by working as hard as I can to be like everyone else. As for how smart I am, I'm pretty sure everybody knows that I just don't have the smarts. I mean, have you seen my grades for all of our classes? And last, but not least, I'm still not sure if I'm cut out to be a huntsman, but that doesn't mean I can't try. I'll just have to see where my path leads me, whether I really don't deserve to be a huntsman or otherwise. So don't blame yourself over it, Weiss, because you have every right to think that way about me…"_

 _Weiss continued to stare at me with her tear-filled eyes, until she started to smile. It looked like I was able to cheer her up somewhat. "I… I still cannot understand how you can say that about yourself… But I guess it's simply what you are, as a person…"_

" _Hey, I know myself better than anyone. Heck, I can even call myself weak and stupid without feeling ashamed about it. I don't shy away from those kinds of accusations."_

 _She chuckled, as she wiped away the tears from her eyes with her hands. "Ah ha ha… You truly are something else, Jaune…" she said, smiling at me. I smiled back, as I managed to make her feel better about herself. She looked back up at the dark, starry night. "I… I wish that I could have given you a chance…"_

 _When she told me one of her regrets, I thought that she meant that she wanted to treat me better. "Doesn't mean that it's too late. You can always get it started right now, if you want."_

 _She looked like she was contemplating about my suggestion, before looking back down at me with a small smile. "Yes… You are absolutely right." she said, before she pulled out her scroll, opening it up as she pressed a couple of buttons and scrolling down some sort of a list._

 _I could only look confusingly at what she was doing. Could she be checking her emails? Maybe she was surfing through the internet, or maybe it was something else. After a couple more button presses, she placed her scroll down next to her before standing up from the base of the statue and walking a few feet forward._

 _Just when I was about to ask her what was up with that, a song started playing, and it came from the scroll itself. Hearing the first couple of piano notes from the song, I instantly recognized it. It was_ Wings _._

 _Weiss stood a few feet away from the statue, with her back facing me. When she turned to me gracefully with a smile, she extended her hand out to me. I was still confused as to what exactly she was doing. "Uh, Weiss? What are you…?"_

" _You can't tell? I thought that a dolt such as you can easily figure out exactly what I am trying to do." she said, again calling me names, but in a friendly tone this time around._

 _I continued to stare at her blankly. It took me a moment to realize what she was doing, as I widened my eyes in disbelief. I finally realized what she meant by giving me a chance. "H-huh?! W-wait, wait, wait just a minute! Weiss, are you… are you asking me to dance with you?!"_

" _Of course." she nodded. "I rejected you when you were asking me out to the dance earlier this semester. Now, I want to fix my mistakes and make amends with you by offering you a chance to dance with me."_

" _S-seriously? I mean, it's nice that you're doing this for me, but the dance was over a long time ago, so there's really no point to this! You really don't have to go this far! I just think treating me like a friend is more than enough to make up for it!"_

" _Jaune… I wish to leave here with no regrets." she stated in all seriousness. "I have wronged you for too long, rejected you at every given opportunity without a single thought. I had been unfair in my judgement of you for the longest time, and I want to change that, by redeeming myself to you. And the only way to do so, in my honest belief… is to give you a chance which I have long since declined. Jaune Arc… Will you be willing to dance with me, to form a proper pact of our trust and friendship to one another?"_

 _I could hear it in her words that she was serious into wanting to dance with me, as a way to make up for her attitude in the past. It was getting harder for me to decline her offer, especially after listening to her resolve. I eventually gave in, sighing as I stood up from the base of the statue and started to walk towards her. "A-alright, if that's how you want it…"_

 _As soon as I got close to her, I looked at her offering hand, then at her smile, just before I moved my own hand up to grasp hers, slightly hesitating at first due to my lingering feeling of disbelief. We stared into each other's eyes for a bit before we slowly pulled each other together in a closed partner position. Weiss was still smiling at me, so I returned it with my own small smile. And then, we started to dance to the slow beat of the song…_

One life

Is not a long time

When you're waiting

For a small sign

 _We started off by slowly sidestepping simultaneously in one way at each individually beat, then doing it in the other way following the same rhythm. We continued to do so like that until the third line of the first section of the song._

 _We started to diverge ourselves away from sidestepping in one linear pattern to sidestepping in another linear pattern when I began to lead ourselves, such is how a man should do when performing that kind of dance with his female partner. We continued to do this sort of dancing pattern for the rest of the first section of the song and until the end of the second section._

Patience

Is hard to find

Shadows

Seem to fill your life

 _As we continued to dance like that well into the second section of the song, we both had our gaze fixated on each other's eyes. It's one of the things that makes the dance genuine, to show that both dancers are well in sync with one another._

" _You must be overjoyed, Jaune." Weiss spoke. "After such a long time, after being rejected for so long, you have finally got to dance with me. You must be filled with euphoria right about now."_

 _Well… She wasn't entirely right on that. If I was still the old me from back then, when I still had a crush on her, I would definitely feel very happy that I got to dance with her. I might even faint in the middle of our dance, if that were the case. But at that point, I just felt that it was really nice to dance with her as fellow partners. "Eh heh heh… You might be surprised at what I'm actually feeling right now."_

" _Hm? What's that suppose to mean?" she asked, raising her eyebrow. But then, she lightly shook her head. "Oh, never mind. There is no point in asking trivial questions, not when we're dancing like this."_

 _I silently nodded, as we continued to dance in a simplistic pattern until the next section came up._

Don't be disappointed

Don't let your heart break

Don't spend another minute

In this way

It's okay

 _When the next section of the song started, we moved away from the dancing pattern when I slowly spun her around and away from me, temporarily letting go of her hand until my other hand took hold of her own. She stopped when our arms are fully extended._

 _I then gently pulled her back, as she spun around again until she got close to me, my other hand seizing her own at the height of our shoulders, and her other arm wrapping itself around her gut while my other arm found itself behind her waist._

 _Weiss spun around once more until she was facing my way, our hands still joined together all the way through. We still had our eyes gazed into each other, as we remained in that position for a few short seconds._

 _And then, she caught me off-guard when she let go of my hands and moved closer to me before wrapping her arms around my neck. I was surprised that she got us in a rather personal position, but I decided to go along with it by wrapping my arms around her waist. We then resumed dancing in that position, to the rhythm of the song._

Dry your eyes now, baby

Broken wings won't hold you down

You'll take flight soon, baby

You'll be lifted up

And you'll be there

 _We got back to our initial dancing pattern while still remaining close to each other like that._

" _I'm actually surprised." Weiss spoke. "The first time that I saw you dance, I thought that my eyes were deceiving me. But now that I have experienced it myself, I know now that you are actually proficient at this kind of dance. How is it so?"_

" _Well, you learn a lot of things when you're living with seven sisters." I replied._

" _You have seven sisters? Haha…" she chuckled. "Now it makes perfect sense. I can only assume that you had a rather difficult life with them, as they were a handful to take care of, correct?"_

" _You can say that. I still remember just how embarrassed I was when I had to take part of their little, girly adventures, but I still love them all the same. And it was thanks to them that I'm an expert at all sorts of dance."_

" _All sorts of dance?" she asked in a skeptical tone. "If you're trying to flatter me, then I'm afraid that it has little effect on me. Especially when the idea of you being remarkable at all forms of dance at your age sounds incredibly ridiculous."_

 _When I heard her questioning my dancing skills, I couldn't help but let out a smirk. Whenever someone says straight in my face that I'm not a good dancer, I always have the urge to show just how terribly wrong they are. "Oh, so you're doubting my skills? Why don't I just prove it to you, then?"_

" _Oh? Is that a challenge?" she asked with a smirk of her own. "Interesting. You sound confident about your own abilities. Well then, let's see if you can keep up with my own skills at dancing."_

" _Heh! You're on!"_

 _As soon as we agreed on a challenge, Weiss' scroll just finished the song that it was playing. And then, by pure coincidence, it started playing another song in response to our challenge. When I recognized that particular song, I knew it was because I'm such a geek. The next song that it was playing was called_ Signs of Love _._

 _When the song started, the both of us got back to a close partner position. The music started with the beat of a drum, and in response, we both started to touch-step simultaneously under us to the beat, then touch-step in different directions about halfway through the drum beats, still in sync with each other._

 _When the trumpets started playing, we simultaneously stepped forward in one direction before rotating ourselves around in the first half, then we did the same thing but in the opposite direction in the second half, finishing it off by leaning ourselves back from each other, our hands still holding onto each other and our feet glued in place, before we pulled each other in and got back to a close position, all in the rhythm of the song._

 **(** **A/N** **: Hey, everyone! Sorry for interrupting the chapter here, but before you proceed any further, I need to address something clear. For this part of the dance, I initially planned to describe the dance in its entirety, just like with the previous one. However, unlike the previous one, this one is more elaborate, and it'll make the description far too big and confusing to understand what is going on, even with my current writing skill. So instead of fully describing the dance, I'll just describe it in ways where you can imagine how it would look like yourself… At least, I hope. It's gonna look awkward, but I can't find a way to get around that. Again, sorry for the interruption. I really need to warn you guys right here.)**

Signs of love overshadowed by dreams

Baby, don't worry coz you ain't alone

Only time running days without nights

Tears pass through

 _Once the singing starts, both Weiss and I increased the intensity of our synchronized dancing, still in rhythm of the music. Our bodies were moving in correspondence to each line sung in the music, even down to exhibiting the description and mood of specific ones, such as the first and second line of the current section for example. I don't have anything else to say about our footwork, since they were very closely in sync with each other and they captured the feeling of the song._

 _We both continued to go at it, following every beat and mood of the music and displaying some of the lines of the first section, until right at the end of it, we pulled ourselves away from each other, our hands separated included._

He said, "I'm the one who's got to leave"

I said, "Nobody's really got to leave coz"

"I don't hear enough information"

"All I need is admiration"

 _With the first line of the following section, I was dancing alone in a matter that looked like I was about to leave her, taking the role of the man who spoke the dialogue._

 _Weiss followed by closing in on me, as sung in the second line, taking the role of the woman, in this case, the singer. She then danced in a persuasive way as an attempt to convince me to stay, even resorting to pulling me closer by the arm before I could move away even further from her. I was trapped in her hold, as she kept me close to her._

Big frustrations bro he goes,

"Life is short we gave a shot,

but didn't work honey coz we had,

a whole lot going on and on,

and on…"

 _Weiss initially took charge of the dance, at the start of the following section, until I slowly took over as the section progressed itself. Our dancing at that point represented the explanation for my wanting to leave her, as I gradually increased the gap between us until both of our arms were fully extended. It developed to the point where we were whirling around together until we crashed into one another, just in time for the chorus._

Signs of love overshadowed by dreams

Baby, don't worry coz you ain't alone

Only time running days without nights

Tears pass through

 _With the chorus, the both of us performed the same dancing pattern together, following and displaying some of the lines that were sung in the music and the mood that it followed. My feelings throughout the dance had increased in intensity at the same level as the one exhibited by the song, and my body was basically moving on its own to the rhythm of the song. And I think the same thing occurred with Weiss, as she also looked like she was dancing naturally to the song._

Every time look at the picture in the frame

Gaze in fascination so hard

You still think that is nothing but love

Rain still falls

 _When we separated from each other before the following section started, we both danced solo in our individual side, but our movements were close to being similar to one another. At the second line of the section, she ran towards me, and I intercepted her by lifting her way up high off the ground and lowering her before the line ended._

 _We got back to a close partner position by start of the second line, as we both danced in sync with one another with the same relative intensity as before. We kept going like that until I spun her away from me, letting her go as she stopped rotating at a fairly short distance from me._

 _The song was nearing its end, and we decided to finish it off with a pseudo dancing competition. When the music started off by playing the piano, with rhythmic drum beats, I went and showed off my dance moves to her in the mood set by the initial part. I stopped dancing once the next instrument was added in, in which case, it was Weiss' turn to show off her own dance moves to me, with a more upbeat mood than it was initially set._

 _As soon as the instruments went more intense as the song was finishing up, the both of us were dancing simultaneously in our own respective way, capturing the tone of the music. The dance ended when Weiss spun herself towards me, and I took hold of her and picked her up bridal style. And with that, the song was over._

 _The both of us were panting heavily following our rather intense dance, partially covered in sweat. It showed just how much we gave our all in that. In light of it, I threw a prideful grin at her. "Heh heh… So, what do you think, Weiss? Is this enough to convince you that what I said wasn't a complete bull?"_

 _I was expecting her to say something along the lines of 'this is just one form of dancing, you fool' or 'I acknowledge your dancing skills,' but for some reason, she wasn't saying anything. In fact, all she was doing was looking deeply into my eyes. "Uh… Weiss? Everything okay?"_

" _Huh?" She blinked her eyes, as she seemed to have snapped out of her trance. "O-oh! Why yes, of course I'm fine." she replied. She then took a look down at herself before throwing an irritated glare at me. "Anyway, how long are you going to keep carrying me like this?!"_

" _O-oh crap! Sorry bout that!" I realized that I was still holding her bridal style. I immediately lowered her down before I suffer her wrath. "I'm really sorry! I was just… caught up in the moment, that's all!"_

" _Hmph… Well, you are lucky that I'm not in a terrible mood tonight." she replied, dusting herself off in the process._

 _Since she didn't reply by beating the crap out of me, or freezing me solid, I let out a relieved sigh. When I lifted my gaze up, the sky was still dark with stars blinking through it, and the moon had moved closer to the centre of the sky. It was enough for me to realize that we had been outside for quite a while. "Oh wow. It's getting pretty late, don't you think?" I asked, moving my sights back down to her._

" _Yes… It seems so." she nodded, as she had her sights up to the dark sky as well._

" _Well, uh… We should probably get back inside. So… I'll see you tomorrow, Weiss." I waved my hand at her, as I turned towards the school entrance and walked past her._

 _But then, she suddenly took hold of my arm before I could go anywhere. I turned my head back towards her, giving her a confused look. She was facing away from me. "Weiss? What are you…?"_

" _Don't leave… Not yet…"_

" _What's going on?"_

" _Jaune, I… For all the times that you have done for me, I have never once got to express my gratitude… I have said my apologizes, but I still haven't thank you until now… And I don't want us to depart while regrets are still etched into my heart… So please, don't leave… Not until I can properly thank you for everything you have done for me."_

" _Weiss, I…" I still didn't understand why she wanted to express her gratitude to me so badly. Was it really that important to her?_

" _Jaune… Thank you for catching me and stopping my fall back in the Emerald Forest last semester…" Well… I didn't technically saved her. Thinking back, I just jumped off the branch to catch her and save her from falling. But I hadn't thought ahead when we were still in the air, and we both ended up falling down and she used my back as cushion to stop her fall. I… wasn't so lucky._

" _Thank you for convince Neptune to come back and see me at the dance, despite your own desire to be with me…" When I learned that Neptune declined her offer, I was so mad at him and confronted him about it, until I discovered that he was just simply shy about not being good at dancing. I managed to convince him to see her again as his own self just so that Weiss wouldn't be sad and alone. He must have told her about what I did that led her to thank me for that._

" _Thank you for seeing me for who I am, and not for what I have…" No one should like her because she's the heiress to the Schnee Company. They should like her for who she is, for her personality, values, talents, anything that defines her. That's what I believe._

 _But what shocked me the most out of her gratitude was what she said next._

" _And thank you… for making me fall in love with you…"_

 _She quickly pulled me closer to her and crashed her lips onto my own._

 _At that moment, I thought that I was dreaming because the real Weiss would never do something like that to me, especially when it comes to love. But the moment she kissed me, I felt the exact same feeling as before. My heart was bursting like crazy, and my stomach had butterflies fluttering about. Those feelings convinced me that it was all real._

 _We stayed like that for a few seconds before Weiss pulled away from the kiss. As I continued to stare at her in shock at what just happened between us, she had a very sincere look on her face, and she had a huge smile that warms through the cold night._

 _The true face of a pure, wonderful Snow Angel…_

* * *

"… I still can't believe that it actually happened. She's my first crush since coming here to Beacon, but she made it very clear that she was never going to be interested in me, no matter what I do. I thought that I could never be someone worth her while, so I stopped crushing on her. I mean, there is just no way that a dork like me would ever be together with someone as esteemed as her, especially when it comes to the differences between us. But the moment that she confessed her love to me, I was completely perplexed at how it came out of nowhere. I thought that she might have gone crazy because she's in love with an idiot like me. I thought that my mind was just playing tricks on me by twisting how it happened in my head. It's just too insane for that to actually happen!"

As Jaune continued to express his disbelief at how the situation unfolded itself to the waiter, he thought back at how it occurred between him and Weiss. And then, his lips formed a sweet smile, as he remembered the other feeling besides disbelief. "But… I knew in my heart that it was true. That Weiss really does love me, and for a good reason too. It's because I like her for who she is as a person. I like her for simply being Weiss, not for being the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. I think I might have been the first guy to ever see her that way, and along with the fact that I'm still striving to be a better huntsman, she started seeing me in a whole different light. And what resulted… was her actually falling in love with me. And as soon as I learned that… My feelings for her in the past revitalized themselves."

Just as with the blond knight's last two retellings of the events that transpired, the waiter was listening to his story about the heiress herself and his own feelings for her. He understood how the blue-eyed boy became infatuated by her, and unlike everyone else, had legitimate reasons for doing so. And what surprised him the most was how Weiss came to love him for that. "I have heard a lot of things about Miss Schnee herself, and one of them is that she is never the kind of person who would ever go after a boy. You must be the first person to have ever capture her heart, good sir."

"Well… I'm not exactly the first…"

"And the other thing that I have heard about her is that her personality is comparable to that of a spoiled child, and she is very disdaining towards anyone she sees as irrelevant. Your description of her and her personality is the first that I have heard that is the complete opposite of what the gossips were stating, as it does not make her seem like a rotten person. And from your honest words, that is her true self, correct?"

"Yeah." Jaune nodded. "The gossips can say anything about her, but only her friends know who she actually is: a very sweet, kind and caring person. I've finally got to experience it myself when she confessed her love to me, after several months of being subjected to her insults, and it made me love her even more than usual. I was really lucky that I finally got her to notice me, even though I never realized it, and it had gotten to the point where she actually loves me…"

The waiter could feel the boy's happiness when the one person who he had a crush on finally saw him for who he is, just as he did the same for her, which led her to feel affections for him, as evident by Jaune's loving smile. However, he immediately perceived that something was wrong, when the boy instantly dropped his smile. "But… After I've gone over the fact that she loves me… I realized more than ever that I've basically made my whole dilemma even worse, especially when I remembered Pyrrha and Ruby afterwards…"

"… I see." The waiter nodded in understanding. "And this is what led you here, in this very cafe, in your anguished state. I now understand your torment, now that you have told me your stories about each individual girl, and how strong their feelings for you are, as well as your own feelings for them."

"I… I still can't believe that I've gotten myself trapped in this situation without even meaning to…" Jaune placed his hands over his face, as he frowned over the circumstances that led him to that. "All three of them love me because I was being myself. Pyrrha loves me because I treated her like a normal friend instead of a celebrity. Ruby loves me because I inspired her to keep working hard through the obstacles. And Weiss loves me because I saw her for who she really is. And after thinking back on all of this… I realized that I love all of them all the same… And I want to be with all of them…"

The boy's distress over the situation that transpired had been very clear to the waiter, especially after hearing how it came to be.

"… What am I supposed to do?" Jaune asked, still having his hands over his face. "I know I have to choose one of them… But I can't bring myself to decide. Not when it'll end breaking their hearts. And… I can't stand to see them heartbroken because of me! They all have their reasons for loving me, so to choose one of them and breaking the hearts of the other two is…! It's just too much for me!"

The blond knight slammed his hands against the steel table, as he leaned over it and looked at the waiter straight in the eye. "I'm really sorry if it's too much to ask… But can you help me? Please, tell me what I have to do…"

"You are… asking me to help you with your dilemma?" the waiter asked, surprised that the blue-eyed knight would ask for a stranger's advice.

"Yeah… I want you to tell me what I need to do so no one has to suffer… So that everyone can be happy… I can't bring myself to turn any of them away, not when their love for me is perfectly genuine… I want to be with all of them… So please, just tell me what I have to do!"

For the entire time that he was working at the cafe, he never expected to be the one giving a really huge advice to a troubled person such as Jaune. The situation was indeed dire, especially when love is unconditional for each of them. The waiter was chosen to make a decision for Jaune that benefits all of them.

… And only one solution is presented in his mind that he found to be more logical and more sane to end this predicament, even if the boy has to go through a difficult trial to do so.

 **End of Prologue 3**

 **And there we go! This is the end of the third prologue of the story! But, this isn't the end of the entire prologue itself. I'm planning to add in one more part of the prologue to make a proper conclusion to it, as well as to make a proper start to the story itself. So stay tuned for the final prologue before we jump in to the actual story!**

 **Now, since this chapter is over and done with, I should apologize for how the second part of the dance turned out to be. Like I said before, the dance itself is more elaborate, and it's difficult to get around it without fully describing the dance itself, and it's going to be really confusing to follow. And in the end, the dance looked really awkward as hell, at least to me. Again, I'm really sorry that it turned out like this, but I'm just not good enough. And this is the first time that I've ever written a dance scene like that! I might improve myself somewhere along the line, but this is what we get for now.**

 **As for the songs that played during the dance, as you all know, the first song is called Wings by Jeff Williams featuring Casey Lee Williams. As for the second song, it's called Signs of Love -Reincarnation-, and if you're a geek like I am, this is one of the songs from a game called Persona 4. And it's thanks to this song that I decided to write the second part of the dance, however awkward it may be.**

 **And before I let you guys go, if there's something about this part of the prologue that you find to be off and not consistent to the source material at some extent, let me know. I'll try and see if I can't fix it and make it better. Because I really, really dislike to be inconsistent with anything.**

 **Anyways, that's all I have to say! See you guys next time! And reviews are always appreciated, thank you!**


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